Lakshadweep BJP chief says 'concerns of locals genuine' as furore against admin grows

In a jolt to the saffron party, BJP's Lakshadweep unit president Mohammad Kasim has backed the local protests in the island against the new regulations, saying the party will work towards removing them. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kasim said that the concerns against the new rules were genuine and that he had written to both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah regarding it. The Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel has come under fire for imposing several decisions since assuming charge like curtailment of the powers of elected district panchayats, terminating govt labourers, lifting the alcohol ban, beef ban and COVID mismanagement.

BJP unit chief flags concerns of locals

“Some of the new regulations are distressing for the citizens of Lakshadweep. If they are going to protest, we will be with them. We want to remove rules that are upsetting the citizens. If the new rules are not good for them, we will be working towards getting them removed. I have written to both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, about this,” said Kasim.

CPM & Congress seek Khoda's removal

Reports state that several miffed BJP leaders have also resigned in process in protest against the administration's unilateral decisions. Reports further claim that the letter written to Centre by BJP Lakshadweep unit seeking its intervention to revoke the decisions was left unanswered. On the other hand, Kerala BJP chief K Surendran has backed the administration claiming that 'Vested interest groups along with the support of radical Islamist organizations are creating a communal rift in society in the name of Lakshadweep'.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal has written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking Patel's removal claiming that Patel had imposed a series of "authoritarian measures" since his appointment on December 2, 2020. Meanwhile, CPI(M) has held Patel responsible for the current surge in COVID-19 cases. The Union Territory, which did not report any novel coronavirus case during the first wave, scrapped its rule of mandatory quarantine for travellers and allowed them to enter by showing negative RT-PCR negative test reports - leading to having a 60% positivity rate. The Opposition has claimed that Patel was trying to “saffronise the island” where almost 95% population is Muslim.

What are Patel's 'objectionable' decisions?

• Altering COVID SOPs leading to COVID case surge
• Ban on the slaughter, transportation, buying and selling of beef products
• Lifting the ban on alcohol consumption
• Demolishing the sheds where fishermen stored nets and other equipment citing violation of the Coast Guard Act
• A new Goonda Act
• Mandating the use of Mangalore port instead of the Beypore port for freight transit 
• Termination of  casual and contractual labourers' jobs in govt