After Kashmir, 97% Muslim Majority Lakshadweep seems to be on the pointer of the communal forces. The Lakshadweep administrator and BJP leader, Praful Khoda Patel, is allegedly trying to destroy the culture and tradition of the Muslim majority island.
Several MPs are demanding the withdrawal of the administrator. They have sent a letter to the President, Ram Nath Kovind, alleging that the administrator uses anti-people and authoritarian policies in the region.
According to a report published on Muslim Mirror, Kerala MP Elamaram Kareem, on Sunday, wrote a strong-worded letter to the President stating that Patel is acting with an “ulterior motive to destroy the traditional life and culture of the island.”
“In the name of reforms and schemes, the new administrator is trying to destroy the traditional life of the people of Lakshadweep completely,” Kareem said.
Lakshadweep, a union territory, has no assembly like Delhi or Puducherry.
Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted that the Modi-led central government is causing irreversible destruction to the island and its people. He urged to withdraw of all the anti-islander laws from Lakshadweep and replace Patel as the administrator.
Since the past few days, #SaveLakshadweep has been trending over social media platforms. People, mainly from Lakshadweep and Kerala, took to social media to call out Praful Khoda Patel and his authoritarian policies like LDAR and PASA.
As per the report, Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 (LDAR) gives the administrator powers to remove or relocate islanders from their property for town planning or any developmental activity.
On the other hand, under Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA), a ‘goonda act,’ a person can be detained without any public disclosure for a period of up to one year.
Patel has also approved the draft panchayat notification, where a member with more than two children is disqualified. Also, non-vegetarian food items were removed from the school menus in Lakshadweep, where people usually consume seafood.