Saffron Attack on Lakshadweep - Administrator Praful Patel Should be Removed
Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel ’ s undemocratic and anti-people decisions have created unrest in the Islands . Actress Ayesha Sulthana has been charged with sedition for opposing Patel ’ s policies and for defending the freedom and liberties of the people of Lakshadweep . Many others have been lathi-charged and arrested . People across the country are protesting against these actions . Moreover , all the BJP leaders on the Island have resigned .
Lakshadweep is one of the Indian Islands off the coast of Arabia . It is a group of 36 small Islands , of which ten are inhabited . According to the 2011 census , the population is 64,473 . 94.8 per cent are scheduled tribes , all of whom are Muslims . Malayalam is the most widely spoken language . Literacy rate is 92 %. Fishing and coconut farming are the main occupations . Lakshadweep has a district status , a parliamentary seat and ten islands have ten Gram Panchayats . Now Patel has set fire to the peaceful islands with his brute policies .
If you look at the political life of Praful Patel , once a civil contractor was elected as a MLA ( 2007 ) during Modi tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat . In the Sohrabuddin encounter case ( 2010 ), when the then State Home Minister Amith Shah was arrested , he was replaced by Praful Patel as Home Minister . The NDA government , of which Narendra Modi later became the Prime Minister , appointed Patel as administrator of the Dadra-Nagar Haveli and Daman Islands in 2016 , setting aside the tradition of appointing IAS officers to the Union Territories . During the 2019 Loksabha elections , Patel clashed with Dadra-Nagar Haveli Collector and Returning Officer Kannan Gopinathan , eventually leading to
July - 2021 the resignation of an IAS Officer . Mohan Delkar , who has been elected to the Lok Sabha 7 times from the same Union Territories , committed suicide by Patel ’ s alleged harassment . The Central Government merged the Dadra-Nagar Haveli and Daman Islands in January last year and took over their administrative powers .
Patel , who has a history of controversy , has been following fascist methods , making antipeople decisions to provoke unrest and intolerance in the islands since he came to power . One of the laws he made was the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation Act , 2021 . Accordingly , in the name of development the government has the right to take possession of any land . Gates were opened in the islands to environment destruction by mining , industries , building constructions , national highways , ring roads leading to airports . In India , lands are seized in the name of SEZ ’ s and those who have lost their lands are given jobs only as “ security guards ”. Authorities are ruthlessly removing huts , sheds , nets and boats set up by fisherman on the coast in the name of the Coastal Regulation Zone Coast Guard Act . The Animal Welfare Control Act prohibits the purchase and sale of beef and beef products , where beef is the staple food . The ban on liquor sales on the islands has been lifted in the name of tourism development . Permission was granted to Ambani and Adani companies to build hotels and resorts in the name of developing tourism .
Also , within a few days of coming to power , 200 contract teachers working in high schools were removed . Some Anganwadis were evicted . Students campaigned against these actions on a massive SMS campaign and propaganda in social media . Concerned students were convicted and lathi-charged and illegally arrested . 190 employees working in the tourism department were removed . The local language Malayalam speaking sub-divisional magistrates and other officers were removed from their posts and Hindi- speaking officers from Gujarat were appointed . Patel has taken many anti-people measures , like reducing the powers of the gram panchayats , exercising control over them , closing down the local government run dairy farms and allowing the Gujarat Amul company , imposing rules on contesting candidates in the election . People who protest and oppose these actions are being arrested under “ Prevention of Anti- Social Activities ” “ Goondas Act ” designed to arrest anyone without giving a reason and put them in jail up to a year .
With the intervention of the administrator in the language , culture , livelihood and finally in the food consumed according to the customs of the people of Lakshadweep , the people there had no choice but to agitate . People are protesting against dictatorship of Praful Patel for the last few days with the slogan of “ Save Lakshadweep ”. The people of the small islands far from Indian Territory are fighting against oppression . As people and students of the Indian subcontinent , we need to show our solidarity to the struggle of the people of Lakshadweep . We should demand , the Prime Minister of India to immediately solve the problems of the people in the Lakshadweep islands and to remove Praful Patel , who was implementing antidemocratic , tyrannical policies . -All India Students and Youth v
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