Ninety-three retired civil servants have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the removal of Lakshadweep administrator, Praful Patel, and have said that the draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation is a part of larger agenda that is against the ethos and interest of the island and islanders.
In a letter, whose copy has been sent to the Union home minister Amit Shah and environment minister Prakash Javadekar, they said that they have no affiliation to any political party but are committed to the Constitution of India.
The signatories of the letter are all top retired IAS, IFS and IPS officers. They include former National Security Advisor, Shiv Shankar Menon, former Adviser to prime minister T K A Nair, former chief information commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah, former foreign secretary, Sujatha Singh etc.
The letter sent on June 5 said: “These drafts have been introduced without local consultation and are presently with the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India for necessary approvals.”
The letter further said: ”We write to you today to register our deep concern over disturbing developments taking place in the pristine Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep in the name of ‘development’.”
“We urge that these measures be withdrawn forthwith, the UT be provided with a full-time, people-sensitive and responsive Administrator, and that an appropriate development model that emphasises access to safe and secure healthcare, education, just governance, food security and livelihood options linked to the ecosystem, in consultation with islanders, be put in place, building on the achievements thus far,” the letter added.
Apart from former top bureaucrats and diplomats, many non-BJP politicians have called for the immediate removal of Praful Patel.
Imposing a two-children criteria for contesting Panchayat poll as well as ban on eating beef, lifting restrictions from the sale of liquor, destroying sheds of fishermen, and move to acquire land, especially on the coasts, are some of the measures taken by Patel.
Another proposed bill, the Lakshadweep Anti-Social Activities Regulation 2021, has kicked up a row as the islands have hardly any crime.
