 "Lakshadweep administration wants to delay our visit, says CPI(M) MP")
Communist Party of India Marxist CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem on Sunday alleged that the Lakshadweep administration is trying to "hide reality" by delaying his party's delegation visit to the Union Territory to understand the current situation.
He said that Additional District Magistrate (ADM) informed the CPI(M)'s delegation to "plan the proposed visit on a later date" considering the COVID-19 situation.
Kareem taking to Twitter said, "A delegation of CPIM Kerala MPs have decided to visit Lakshadweep to understand current situation. Today ADM informed us to "plan the proposed visit on a later date" considering COVID situation. They wanted to delay our visit and avoid world knowing ground reality. SaveLakshadweep."
The CPI-M state secretariat has decided to stage a protest on May 31 in front of the Lakshadweep offices in Beypore and Kochi accusing the central government of trying to abolish the special rights of Lakshadweep.
Meanwhile, Lakshadweep Collector S Asker Ali defended the laws imposed by Administrator Praful Khoda Patel and said that these administrative decisions will help the union territory to develop like Maldives thereby benefiting local residents.
Over the last week, several leaders have called for a new administrator in the Lakshadweep islands, including Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mohammed Faizal.
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Faizal accused Patel of implementing anti-people rules and regulations and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to 'listen to the outcry of the local people and send in a new Administrator'.
Congress had written to President Ram Nath Kovind alleging that the current Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel had taken "authoritarian measures" and demanded his recall.