What's happening in Lakshadweep? A thread.
Ever since former Gujarat MoS Home Minister and Modi's close confidant Praful Khoda Patel was appointed as Administrator late last year, he has taken the following repressive measures using the pandemic as cover:
👇🏾1/n
1. Changed the SoP in place that had resulted in 0 covid cases in Lakshadweep in all of 2020. Cases have sky rocketed since and 317 cases were reported just yesterday. Total of 22 deaths.
2. Arrest people who had erected anti-CAA/NRC boards earlier. 2/n
thehindu.com/news/national/…
3. Enact a Goonda Act when Lakshadweep has the lowest crime rate in the country. The people believe this is to target those protesting against union government policies.
4. Remove non-vegetarian items from the school food menu. 3/n
neighbourhoodinfo.co.in/crime/Lakshadw….
5. Promulgate a regulation criminalizing slaughter of cattle and transportation and trade of beef products. Even slaughter of other animals will require prior permission.
6. Introduce a draft law to disqualify panchayat members with more than 2 kids. 4/n
lakshadweep.gov.in/notice/directo…
7. Dismiss hundreds of contract and casual workers employed by government offices. Terminate mid-day meal workers, physical education teachers etc.
8. Close down 38 Anganwadis.
9. Stop freight transit through Beypore port in Kerala to cut traditional ties with the state. 5/n
10. Citing the Coast Guard Act and demolishing the temporary sheds built by fishermen to store their nets and equipments, with permission from the previous administration. This in a place where fishing is the main source of income.
11. Lift restrictions on sale of alcohol. 6/n
12. Propose the widening of roads in a manner in which many homes and buildings will have to be demolished. This in a place where traffic is low because the number of vehicles are less.
13. Promote large scale private tourism ventures. 7/n
These decisions have been taken against the wishes of the people primarily to curb the democratic rights of the ~64,000 people who live in the territory, 97% of whom are muslims.
The anti-people, undemocratic hindutva project must be resisted strongly. n/n
Post script: Note that Praful Khoda Patel is also the administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and is currently accused of abetting the suicide of Adivasi leader and 7-time MP Mohan Delkar and has an FIR registered against him under SC/ST PoA Act.
News report on the same:
theprint.in/india/administ…
Post script 2: There are reports that the administration is also blocking the work of youths employed as Marine Watchers whose job is to ensure that commercial sand mining and sea cucumber harvesting (banned in India) is not happening.
m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
Post script 3: The Draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR) 2021 will give the administration unchecked powers to encroach into land ownership and usage in the name of development.
This must be seen alongside its promotion of corporates.
lakshadweep.gov.in/notice/lbdb-th…
Post script 4: The protests, the statements of political leaders and campaign on social media have put BJP-RSS on the back foot wrt Lakshadweep.
They are now blaming Islamists and ISIS terrorists for the pushback against the Corporate-Hindutva project.
organiser.org/Encyc/2021/5/2…
Post script 5: All diary farms in Lakshadweep have been ordered closed and Gujarat-based Amul milk products are being forced onto the people. They have called for a boycott.
Critical social media posts are being censored and internet blackout looms large.
reporterlive.com/residents-of-l…
Post script 6: The cattle in the closed down diary farm in Kavaratti are set to be auctioned off as per this notification dated today.
Post script 7: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan condemns the moves of the administration in Lakshadweep to destroy the culture and livelihood of the indigenous people living there, attributes such moves to vested interests and calls for them to be withdrawn.
Post script 8: Kerala High Court stays Lakshadweep Administrator's order assigning other duties to public prosecutors and sending them away to other islands, and seeks his explanation.
The sub court there has been unable to function as a result of this.
deshabhimani.com/amp/news/keral…
Post script 9: 4 natives 'nabbed' by police in Lakshadweep, including 3 children, for sending Whatsapp messages to Administrator Praful Khoda Patel's phone.
One of those arrested had sent this message: Hi.
keralakaumudi.com/en/news/mobile…
Post script 10: BJP Youth Wing Bharatiya Janatha Yuva Morcha leaders in Lakshadweep write to BJP National Vice President and Lakshadweep in-charge Abdullakutty condemning the unilateral decisions being taken by the administration and tender their resignation from BJP.
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