Jamshedpur, Sep 28 (PTI) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice president and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday welcomed the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI), saying the organisation was banned in Jharkhand in February 2019 during his regime."I welcome the decision of the Union Government of banning PFI and its associate bodies for five years for indulging in anti-national activities and extend a warm greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the decision", Das said in a tweet.PFI was banned in Jharkhand in February, 2019 under Section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908.Accusing the JMM-led dispensation of adopting a lackadaisical approach towards the PFI activities, Das alleged the organization was the brain behind observing weekly holidays on Friday in around 100 minority-dominated upgraded primary schools in districts including Jamtara instead of Sundays for last two years and the government was unaware of it till BJP had taken up the issue.Das alleged that the PFI was also responsible for the Lohardaga and Ranchi communal violences around Ramnavami festival early this year. He said the BJP had even demanded for a probe about PFI"s involvement in the riots.Reacting to the allegations by Das, JMM spokesperson Mohan Karmakar alleged that BJP is trying to create a rift in the society.He said the saffron party which was not able to digest the welfare initiatives of Hemant Soren-led JMM coalition has been trying to destabilise the government by creating confusion among the people.The Centre has imposed a ban on the PFI and several of its associates for their alleged terror activities.The ban came after over 150 people allegedly linked with PFI were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan-India crackdown against the 16-year-old group had led to the arrest of over a hundred of its activities and seizure of several dozen properties. PTI BS NAM RG