A number of reforms announced by the new administration led by Praful Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party caused a public sparked in Lakshadweep. The BJP leader, who was appointed as Lakshadweep’s administrator in December 2020, is facing opposition to the policies introduced by him from the people of Union territory and politicians of Lakshadweep and the neighboring state of Kerala.
Since taking over as Lakshadweep administrator, Patel has been criticizing of the local administration. However, locals have described the reforms in Lakshadweep as “anti-people”, largely as a Muslim population and largely dependent on fishing.
Patel proposed to implement the Anti-Social Activities Regulation Bill, 2021, or the Gonda Act, in the peninsular region where crime rates are already very low at the societal levels. Locals fear the bill would pave the way for a trial without the administration, and they feel there is no need for such stringent laws. The government also took control of the local administrative powers of the elected district panchayats in the areas of education, health care, agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries.
The new proposal will also change the rules of the panchayat and disqualify anyone with more than two children from contesting the panchayat elections. He also approved the opening of bars on a non-alcoholic island due to the Muslim population to promote tourism. Ban beef and eliminate vegetarian food from the Anganwadi children’s menu.
In a letter to the Center, Kerala legislator Hibi Eden also claimed that several government contract employees in the tourism sector had been sacked for no reason. He has written letters to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.”The majority of the 70,000 people on the island depend on fishing and government services, but the new administration demolished the fishers huts, accusing them of violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).”
Patel has cut off long-standing trade ties between the island of the neighboring state of Kerala and the Beypore port of and diverted all materials to Mangalore.
The issue has the support of various opposition parties in Lakshadweep and Kerala, as well as on social media.
Lakshadweep legislator and NCP’s Muhammad Faizal and his neighbors Kerala’s TN Prathapan (Congress), Elaram Karim (CPIM) and ET Muhammad Bashir (Muslim League) also returned Patel from the Center. Appealed to call.
Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal also said Praful Patel is “spoiling the democratic fabric of India” with his “arbitrary ways.”
On Monday, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wrote a letter to the president alleging that Pradeep Patel, the current administrator of Lakshadweep, had taken “dictatorial measures” and demanded his recovery.
Venugopal said there was panic among the people of Lakshadweep and that it had led to large-scale protests “because of the dictatorial measures taken by the current administrator Praful Patel”.
However, the Center attributed the criticism to Patel’s efforts to eradicate “corrupt practices” involving local politicians and promoting development there.
