The people’s protests in Lakshadweep Islands against the proposed draconian reforms continued to create ripples in neighbouring Kerala on Tuesday with political party leaders raising many demands, such as passing a unanimous resolution in the state assembly and recalling of the Union Territory’s administrator Praful Patel.
Legislator and Youth Congress State president Shafi Parambil urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to introduce a resolution in the current Assembly session to express solidarity with the Lakshadweep residents.
“The fascist Sangh Parivar regime is threatening to destroy the livelihood, employment opportunities and participation in the democratic process through the administrator. So the Kerala Assembly should unanimously pass a resolution expressing solidarity with the residents of Lakshadweep,” he said.
Opposition Leader VD Satheeshan urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to call back Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel, who is bringing in the draconian reforms. “The new administrator has interfered in the powers of the district panchayat and invoked Goonda Act to suppress people’s voices. His mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis has created a health crisis on the island. Such actions provoking the people of the island and their religious sentiments will cause tremendous damage to peace and tranquillity in the island,” he wrote to Amit Shah.
Satheesan requested Shah to take measures to calm down the situation and to call back the Administrator.
Lakshadweep residents have been protesting against a proposed cow slaughter ban, a preventive detention law and a draft law proposing sweeping changes in land development regulations, which were introduced by the Union Territory’s administrator Praful Khoda Patel, who has close links with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Patel was the Home Minister in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat cabinet.
