Major Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the Centre’s decision of banning the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates for five years.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav demanded a ban on organisations like the RSS.

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“The PFI is being investigated. All organisations like the PFI including the RSS… All of them should be banned,” said Lalu Yadav.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the five-year ban on PFI and said that the organization should not be blamed for the crimes committed by “some individuals”.

Owaisi in a thread of Tweets emphasized that even though he has always opposed the approach of the PFI, the “draconian” and “dangerous” ban on the outfit cannot be supported.

In another tweet, Owaisi asserted that this case of PFI ban would follow the timeline of the case of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was booked by the Uttar Pradesh government under the UAPA in 2020 while he was on his way to reach Hathras for covering the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl.

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said banning organizations serve no purpose as they resurface under a different name. Yechury said the RSS was banned thrice, has it stopped functioning?

“So ban is not a solution. In the past also, banned organizations came up with a new names. Look at SIMI, it was banned and what happened,” said Yechury while speaking to the media here.

“All forms of terror activities should be stopped and so should the bulldozer politics,” he added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress demanded a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the backdrop of imposing a five-year ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) by the Centre.

Talking to the media, the Opposition leader in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah said that Congress will not oppose a ban on any organizations which are involved in anti-social activities. “RSS is involved in anti-social activities and this organization should also be banned,” he demanded.

“The RSS creates unrest in society. All organizations involved in hate politics must be banned, he opined. Why did they not ban PFI all these days? The ban has been imposed after we demanded it,” said Siddaramaiah.

Congress MP, Kodikunnil Suresh from Kerala compared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the Popular Front of India and demanded a similar ban on it for perpetuating “Hindu communalism.”

“We demand a ban on RSS as well. The ban on PFI is not the remedy as RSS is also spreading Hindu communalism throughout the country,” he said.

“So both the RSS and PFI are equal. The government should ban both. Why only PFI? RSS is also doing the majority communalism,” he said.

“Wherever majority communalism is there, then minority communalism is also coming up. So ultimately both (majority and minority) communalism is dangerous. It is dangerous for the country. So the government should ban both. Otherwise no result,” the Congress Lok Sabha chief whip added.

Earlier senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh while denouncing the violence perpetrated by the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kerala, lashed out at the RSS and VHP as well, calling them “ek hi thali ke chatte batte” while also demanding action against “all those who spread hatred and violence.

(With Inputs From Agencies)