Save Lakshadweep campaign – What is it all about? Why #SAVELAKSHWADEEP?

Today what is happening in Lakshadweep may happen to you tomorrow, everything happening in Lakshadweep is a key indication of something very distasteful. For couple of days #SaveLakshadweep hashtag has gone trending and lots of actors, politicians, activist and the citizens of India are using this hashtag against the Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel for destroying the common people life, traditional life and culture of the island.

We don’t know what will happen to #SAVELAKSHWADEEP hashtag or campaign because we have seen many hashtag and campaigns like #savefarmers, #IndiaDoesNotSupportCAA, #modi_rojgar_do and all those became just a hashtag or a rating creating subject. These hashtags will repeat and repeat but they will not listen, they will keep their eyes and ears closed. Hope #SAVELAKSHWADEEP gets justice.

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What is the issue in Lakshadweep all about?

In short, the campaigns in Lakshadweep are for freedom, freedom to eat what they want, freedom to practice their livelihood, freedom to follow their customs, freedom of happiness.

Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel, a former BJP leader and former home affairs minister in Gujarat, has announced the execution of new reforms that has angered the people of Lakshadweep. A few days ago, in social media " # SAVELAKSHWADEEP " appeared to highlight the difficulties that exist on the island. People, especially from Lakshadweep and Kerala, took social media to shout "# SAVELAKSHWADEEP " and against Praful Patel for his authoritative laws such as LDAR and PASA.

At the heart of the problem is the decision to reallocate the island people from their area, the constitution of Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 (LDAR), which gives the administrator the power to remove or relocate island people from their area, town planning, or any other development project. The Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA), which was introduced in Jan - 2021, gives the government the power to detain a person without being disclosed in public for the period of one year. In addition, Patel also approved a panchayat protest notice in which a member with more than two children was released.

The interference by the central government on freedom of food was not a new subject and beef ban lead to a country wide campaign long back. Now non-vegetarian food items have been removed from school menus in Lakshadweep, a place where people continue to eat seafood and meats like beef, chicken. This is completely injustice against the local people where majority is Muslims and nonveg becomes their daily meals.

People are also protesting against the introduction of a 'goonda act' which we call improper. We are still confused with this action, a place where there was peace and no major crimes comparing to other places of India, 'goonda act' was introduced.

A revised panchayat notice states that a member with more than two children is not eligible to become a member. "No one will be allowed to be a member of the Gram Panchayat or continue like that with more than two children," the law said. This has created fears among residents about their ability to contest polling stations if they do not comply with the process.

A place which was completely under control in case of covid previously and the typical operation of the island required strict confinement for fourteen days to enter the island. But Patel reduced the rules, saying that a negative RT-PCR certificate was not enough to enter Lakshadweep which caused concern for the islanders. This eventually increased the covid cases in Lakshadweep. People there are afraid and panic due to this new rule which increased the covid cases.

All the above decisions by Praful Patel, a former BJP leader and former home affairs minister in Gujarat doesn’t seems to be by mistake. 97 percent of Lakshadweep island’s population is Muslims and the authoritative policies by the administrator, who is a close aide of PM Modi, are seen by many as an extension of the Hindutva project.

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How the protest went on air?

Since the bills were introduced in January many protests were occurring within the island which didn’t became national wide protest at that time. The protests received much attention after Kerala MP Elamaram Kareem wrote in a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, stating that many hardworking and contract workers working in various departments had lost their jobs under changing laws on the island. "In addition, sites where fishers used to keep their nets and other equipment demolished by new administrator for violating the Coast Guard Act. Temporary buildings, previously built without the sole provision of fishers by management, are now being demolished without warning," he said. "The authorities have also decided that the people of the islands should no longer rely on Beypore (Kerala) for logistics. Instead, they should rely on Mangalore (Karnataka) to do this," he said.

Now the protests went national wide many actors, celebrities, politicians, activists came to support the campaign and the hashtag # SAVELAKSHWADEEP went trending.

 

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