The Kerala Assembly Monday unanimously passed a resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the current political unrest brewing in Lakshadweep. The resolution has demanded the removal of new Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel.
The resolution, which has been moved against a series of measures adopted by the Lakshadweep administrator, states that “In the name of promoting tourism, the culture and essence of Lakshadweep itself is being negated.”
It adds that the people of the Union territory are themselves raising concerns over attempts to “encroach upon their cultural and specific features”.
The resolution tabled by CM Vijayan states that the Lakshadweep administration is “officially sabotaging the basic responsibility of protecting the lives of people”.
Claiming that the atrocities being committed in Lakshadweep are worse than during colonial rule, the Kerala CM has urged the Centre to ensure that the interests of the people of the UT are protected.
While presenting the resolution in the assembly, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Centre is “trying to implement saffron agenda and corporate interests in Lakshadweep”.
Opposition parties, INC and IUML, supported the resolution, suggesting amendments to directly attack the central government in the resolution. V D Satheeshan, the opposition leader of the assembly, said that the Saffron agenda of SanghParivar in Lakshadweep will be resisted at any cost. “After Kashmir, they (SanghParivar) went to Lakshadweep. Maybe Kerala is the next turn. We need to stand united against it.” Congress MLA Shafi Parampil had requested to the CM to pass this resolution earlier.
The Narendra Modi government issued a gazette notification Friday empowering authorities in 13 more districts — in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab — to grant citizenship to minority communities hailing from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh under the existing rules.
However, this isn’t the first time that state officials have been empowered to grant citizenship to minorities from neighbouring countries. In 2018, the Modi government had empowered the collectors and home secretaries of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
The latest move came even as the Centre sought more time earlier this month to frame the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules.
According to the notification, the collectors of the specified districts — and the home secretaries in Punjab and Haryana — will be empowered to accept, verify and ultimately grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian applicants, who hail from the three countries mentioned above.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), the Central Government hereby directs that powers exercisable by it, for registration as a citizen of India under section 5, or for grant of certificate of naturalisation under section 6, of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in respect of any person belonging to minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians… shall also be exercisable by the Collector, within whose jurisdiction the applicant is ordinarily resident,” the notification said.
Covering just 32 sq km in terms of area, Lakshadweep lies in the Arabian Sea and comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court. 93 percent of the population is constituted by Muslims and the inhabitants are ethnically similar to the coastal population of Kerala. With crime rates phenomenally low, Lakshadweep promises peace and harmony to its population. Mr. Praphul Khoda Patel was given the charge of Lakshadweep administration in December, 2020. After serving as the Home Minister in Gujarat under Narendra Modi, he was appointed as the administrator of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli in a departure from the prevailing practice of appointing senior IAS officers to the post.
Lakshadweep had not reported a single positive case in the first wave of Covid 19. However, Mr. Patel’s administrative policies pulled the island to back foot in resisting the pandemic. He immediately amended the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that evidently put the island in the green zone when the whole country was fighting the first wave. As a result, the mandatory quarantine of 14 days for entering the island has been waived off by the administration. There came a police officer from Diu, following no quarantine and restraints from social gatherings. Finally, he was tested positive for Covid. In the meantime, enough damage was already done by him after coming in contact with many people across the island. The first case was reported in January and the month of February witnessed the first death. The island has 6000+ positive cases and 24 deaths reported so far. With limited hospital accommodation and healthcare facilities, Lakshadweep is now in a fatal battle with the pandemic. Dr. Aslam, a medical practitioner, who insisted for stricter control measures in the island, was responded with a punishment transfer. Amidst of all this, the administrator Mr. Patel has refrained himself from taking a Covid test.
LDAR, the draft in question is underlined by authoritarian and contentious suggestions that could bring unrest and disharmony among the inhabitants. The Anti Social Activities Act introduced in January 2021 gives unquestionable power for the administration to detain people without public disclosure and hold them captive for a year. Introducing this ‘Act’ in a place with “zero crime rating” kept people startled and surprised. Little did they know that this was all a part of a script! Lakshadweep receives vegetables, cereals, pulses and food grains after being shipped from Kerala.
However, when the ship covers all the islands, which takes several days, the vegetables would be on the verge of decay. Besides, fishing becomes a tedious task throughout the year due to the onset of cyclones. The inhabitants of the islands thus rely highly on animal husbandry to meet their domestic needs. However, with the introduction of the Animal Protection Act in the LDAR, beef is no longer a food that can be consumed. The menu of the mid day meal programme has been amended to remove beef as well as other meat products from the list except fish. This could in turn make the implementation of the noon meal programme a difficult and tedious affair.
The Development Authority Regulation could permit the government(administrator) to plan development activities in land zones that can be identified for infrastructure activities and commercial use. In addition to this, an unquestionable power is vested in the administration to forcefully relocate people. To be precise, rhetoric of development can be imposed on people making them landless and homeless as per the prescribed legislation. If the authority is hampered or opposed from carrying out the eviction, the District Magistrate shall intervene to carry out the eviction or ensure secure delivery of possession of the land to the Planning and Development Authority. Besides, the alleged order to widen the roads is ironically implemented at a place with fewer vehicles (mostly two wheelers) and high population density.
The use of alcohol is prohibited in Lakshadweep respecting religious and cultural obligations making it a ‘dry land’. However, this communal sentiment is hurt when the administration gives permission for the construction of bars in four islands of Lakshadweep (promotion of tourism is what the administration reiterates) despite strong resentment from the people. This could ostensibly dismantle the cornerstones of peace and consequently lead to crimes as well. The amendment of Lakshadweep Panchayat Staff Rules states that inhabitants with more than two children are banned from contesting elections to local bodies. This proposal is implemented in a place with the fertility rate touching the 1.6 mark which is well below the upper limit of 2. Besides, the draft carries suggestions for privatisation of ships and tourism, apparently to convert Lakshadweep into a money making entity manoeuvred by corporate monsters. The District Dweep Panchayat led by The President cum Chief Counsellor is the sole elected body in Lakshadweep. Five important departments that used to function more efficiently under the panchayat which include fisheries, animal husbandry, health and education were reclaimed by the Administrator. Under Mr. Patel, about 38 anganwadis have been shut and 190 people were terminated from the Tourism Department and educational institutions. Contract workers could lose their jobs immediately as per the proposed draft. It would also be imperative to question the logic of publishing the suggestions in the Govt. Gazette in English at a place where more than three fourth of the population fail to read and understand English.The administration has also decided that the islanders should rely on Mangalore port instead of Beypore for cargo transit. This could adversely affect the close ties that Lakshadweep enjoyed with Kerala. Now, the islanders should learn Kannada as well so as to coordinate the shipment of freight. Any attempt to impede and rebel against the administrative measures are curtailed via the Anti Social Activities Act introduced initially.
Well this could be read as the replica of an imperialistic force trying to gain monopoly over a relatively smaller group of people. More than being a political or religious strife, we should confront this for larger public good. Being dumb to the invasion of fascist entities is unbecoming for a responsible citizen of this republic, given the fact that we have a government who is absolutely insensitive towards the emotions and sentiments of the common man. Awake your senses, else witness yourself to see ‘democracy’ a distant reality.
Israel on Thursday announced a ceasefire in the bruising 11-day war against Hamas militants that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the ceasefire after a late-night meeting of his Security Cabinet. It said the group had unanimously accepted an Egyptian proposal, though the sides were still determining exactly when it was to take effect.
Senior defense officials, including the military chief of staff and national security adviser, recommended accepting the proposal after claiming “great accomplishments” in the operation, the statement said.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that “the reality in the field will determine the continuation of operations.”
A senior Hamas figure claimed victory in the conflict with Israel Friday in a speech to thousands of people celebrating in Gaza City after a ceasefire came into place.
“This is the euphoria of victory,” said Khalil al-Hayya, the second most senior member of the Islamist movement’s political bureau in the Gaza Strip. He also promised to reconstruct homes destroyed by Israeli air strikes.
An Israeli soldier walks at a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The ceasefire brokered by Egypt, that also included Gaza’s second-most powerful armed group, Islamic Jihad, was agreed on Thursday evening and came into force on Friday after international pressure to stem the bloodshed which erupted earlier this month.
Israeli strikes on Gaza since May 10 have killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, as well as fighters, and have wounded another 1,900, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Vast areas have been reduced to rubble and about 120,000 people have been displaced, according to Hamas authorities.
The Israeli army says Hamas and other Islamist armed groups in Gaza have fired more than 4,300 rockets towards Israel over the course of the conflict, but the overwhelming majority of those headed for populated areas were intercepted by its Iron Dome air defences.
Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister for a second time on Thursday, after guiding the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government to a historic second successive term in the April-May election.
Mr Vijayan was sworn-in by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in a brief ceremony conducted in accordance with COVID-19 protocols; the ceremony itself was only allowed after the Kerala High Court gave its permission Wednesday.
“Took the oaths of office and secrecy as Chief Minister of Kerala. Together let us realise a people’s alternative and build a Nava Keralam!” Mr Vijayan tweeted.
Took the oaths of office and secrecy, as the Chief Minister of Kerala. Together, let us realise a people's alternative, and build a Nava Keralam! pic.twitter.com/zMnm0VsJQa
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) May 20, 2021
Pinarayi Vijayan will head an all-new 20-member cabinet – including 12 from the CPM and four from the CPI – with no carry-over – apart from himself.
CPIM leader PA Mohammad Riyas, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) National President since before 2017 and Mr Vijayan’s son-in-law, has been named in the new list. Mr Riyas contested parliamentary elections in 2011 and has also been the CPM state secretariat member for the past five years.
The new team has three women – Dr R Bindu, Chinchu Rani and Veena George – one more than last time and a record number for any Kerala government.
CPM’s Veena George will be the first woman journalist-politician to be a Kerala Minister. She is expected to get the Health portfolio held by KK Shailaja.
Dr Bindhu, the former Thrissur Mayor, is also CPM State Secretary K Vijayraghavan’s wife, and is expected to get Higher Education.
75 per cent of the new cabinet are first-time ministers and 10 are first-time MLAs.
The sweeping changes – described by Mr Vijayan as a party decision – include the dropping of KK Shailaja, who was widely praised for her handling of the Covid crisis.
The new Kerala cabinet needs to hit the ground running because the state – praised for its containment of the virus in the first wave – has been badly affected by the second; active cases are over 3.32 lakh (third-worst in the country) and vaccine doses and oxygen supply is a key problem.
“In the matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.” -Mahatma Gandhi
How often do you see an Indian Prime Minister being criticized in foreign media platforms? Perhaps, you don’t see many. But here we have a prime minister, who is designated with this privilege.
First we had an Australian daily lashing out and ridiculing the Indian model of handling the pandemic blatantly throwing ample criticism at Mr. Modi against which the BJP leaders reacted with unprecedented vigour. Then we have the Lancet editorial addressing the slips and ignorance of the union government in ensuring a proper systemic resistance in the country against an impending second wave.
Elections legitimize the system not merely through the casting of votes, but through the process itself, the self renewing exchange of hopes and premises, demands and compromises that make up the flawed miracle of democracy. (Shasi Tharoor, India: From Midnight to Millennium and Beyond)
Indeed, it would be a much tedious task for a common man in this republic to have a clear and succinct understanding about what is really happening around. Going back to March when the cases were under control, the Union Health Minister almost put shutters on the fight against Covid 19. He called it the ‘end game’ despite recurring warnings about an impending second and third wave. Bharatiya Janata Party President J.P Nadda hailed that the PM has saved the country, comparing India’s performance and resistance under Modi to that of the United States. In fact, it is a great comparison. Besides, BJP national leaders found their time in visiting election campaigns throwing away the Covid protocols to the winds while presenting themselves in mass gatherings.
A woman at the cremation of her husband, who died from the coronavirus disease in New Delhi on May 5. | Adnan Abidi / Reuters
With 2, 81,386 cases and 4,106 deaths recorded on May 16, India is waging a war against the virus that calls for a strong and rigid leadership. The struggle to breathe is unquestionably the most terrifying plight which thousands of Indians are currently going through. Questions of priority, consensus and responsibility are floating around. Life is now a ‘dangerous joke’ in the country right now. When the storm clouds gather, there is no one to tell the emperor that he is not wearing any clothes.
Lack of transparency and accuracy in the digital data has put the scientists and public health policy makers on the back foot in providing a complete and actionable picture on the outspread of novel variants and their influence on disease dynamics. For instance, in Gujarat, according to the official data, 73-121 Covid deaths were reported each day, as of mid April. Sandesh, a local newspaper, sent reporters to the cremation grounds to probe the situation. To their astonishment, the number of bodies cremated was more than 600 each day. There is almost a difference of around 500 unrecorded deaths. Knowing the truth is more important because the public vigil and the level of preparedness depend on actual numbers.
The second wave came in almost a year after the first. However, the testing infrastructure remains inadequate and piddling. India conducts daily tests among 229 people out of 1000 which is much lower compared to other 112 countries. As per WHO, it is imperative to increase the number of tests so as to bring down the Test Positivity Rate. Dr. Balram Bhargawa of ICMR stated that India has the capacity to conduct 33 lakh daily tests (17 lakh and 16 lakh for Rapid Antigen Tests and RT PCR tests respectively). However, ever since the outbreak has set in, the number of tests hasn’t touched the 20 lakh mark.
The vaccine strategy has fallen apart miserably following a dismal planning, piecemeal procuring and unregulated pricing. The vaccine drive has been elicited to an unfair competition which further aggravated the chaos round the second wave. India could have placed orders for vaccines a long time ago. However, the country decided to procure only trifling amounts. Between the month of January and May, the Indian government bought 350 million doses of the two approved vaccines namely the Covishield (AstraZeneca Plc shot manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India Ltd.) and Covaxin (an indigenously developed shot produced by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech InternationalLtd.). This quantity was not even adequate to vaccinate even 20 percent of the country’s population. However, following the declining trend in the initial months of 2021, the government exported almost 9.5 crore doses of vaccines abroad and called it ‘vaccine diplomacy’. Well, ‘diplomacy’ is important.
Patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) get treatment at the casualty ward in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital, amidst the spread of the disease in New Delhi, India April 15, 2021. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
In contrast, the US or EU were intelligent and smart enough to place orders for the vaccines nearly a year before their availability in the market. This could prove fruitful in providing a guarantee in the vaccine market enabling the manufacturers to go on with the sales and ensure that these countries receive vaccines as soon as possible. Besides, the US also imposed an export ban on the raw materials for vaccine production so as to confine them within their ambit. The question of priority stands tall again and India fails to answer this. In the meanwhile, the government has made a ‘significant’ move in shouldering the responsibility of procuring and distribution of vaccines to the state governments. The state is now in a position to compete with private hospitals in the market to procure vaccines. The centre was however smart enough to tell the apex court not to indulge in the vaccine strategy. Kudos!! To vaccinate around 70% of the country’s population, the approximate cost would be around 30000 crores (given that the centre procures vaccine for Rs.150 per dose). However, Rs 20000 crores has to be kept aside for India’s ‘historical’ Central Vista Project. So the government is right about its logic in not taking up the vaccination challenge on its own.
When the oxygen shortage was aggravating in the capital we witnessed a verbal duel between the Delhi government and central government in the matter of oxygen supply. Probably the best time to have a duel. However, it was a good sign to find that ‘India’s sovereignty’ has not been dismantled when foreign aids were received from multiple countries.
The much acclaimed PM care fund is receiving aids from Indians as well as foreigners. However, this fund has got no transparency and no audits on the outflow of money. We fail to have a proper monitoring system to ensure whether this reaches the right hands as well. Well, this is expected from a Prime Minister who prefers his “Mann ki Baat” over press conferences.
Definitely amidst these deaths, we have a proud moment on the cards. The ‘Central Vista’ project is being rolled on. Above the grave of thousands, we are all set to re-imagine the ‘power corridor of the country’. Historians say that Emperor Nero lived thousands of years before. They are wrong. He is still alive! History is recreated amid the laments of millions.
No scents of Arabia can sweeten this little hand, says Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, ‘Macbeth’. Just saying…
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district bulldozed a mosque in the Ram Sanehi Ghat area on Monday, 17 May, despite an order by the Allahabad High Court dated 24 April, which stated that in view of the pandemic, “any orders of eviction, dispossession or demolition shall remain in abeyance until 31 May.”
As per a report done by The Guardian, on Monday, police personnel moved into the area, cleared the mosque premises and subsequently bulldozed the mosque. The debris was then thrown into a river. Security personnel also stopped anyone from coming within a mile of the demolition site.
Zufar Farooqui, chairman of the Sunni Waqf board was quoted by The Times of India as saying, “I strongly condemn the patently illegal and high-handed action of the Tehsil and district administration particularly that of the sub-divisional magistrate for demolition of 100-year-old mosque situated near the Tehsil compound in the name of alleged removal of encroachment.”
Maulana Abdul Mustafa, who is on the mosque committee, was quoted by The Guardian as saying, “All Muslims were scared, so no one went near the mosque or dared to protest when the mosque was being demolished.”
District administration had issued a show cause notice to the mosque committee on 15 March, asking them to provide evidence of ownership of the land and cited a court directive where religious constructions could be demolished if they obstructed traffic.
The mosque committee claims that they sent a detailed response but the local administration did not take it on official record.
Citing imminent demolition, the mosque committee approached the Allahabad High Court on 18 March. The court assured the committee that the show cause notice by the administration was only referring to illegal residential rooms within the complex.
On 19 March, as per The Guardian report, locals were prevented from entering the mosque, causing tension and protests in the area, which led to the arrests of over 35 Muslim locals.
The police said that once the notice was issued, on 15 March, the residents of the complex fled. Following which, the tehsil administration took control of the premises on 18 March due to security reasons, the police said in a video statement released on Twitter.
The statement added that as per the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, on 2 April, the questionable complex was found to be illegal. On the basis of which, a case was registered in the court of SDM Ram Sanehi Ghat. The police added that the judicial orders of the court were consequently implemented on 17 May.
Barabanki district magistrate Adarsh Singh was quoted by The Guardian as saying, “I do not know any mosque. I know there was an illegal structure. The high court declared it illegal. That’s why the regional senior district magistrate took action. I will not say anything else.”
India on Sunday called for immediate de-escalation of the situation between Israel and Palestine at a United Nations Security Council meeting. The statement came as violence continues in the region that began this month following weeks-long tension between the two sides.
At the meeting, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti asked the two countries to immediately resume direct dialogue and said that New Delhi supports the two-state solution.
“The events of the last several days has resulted in a sharp deterioration of the security situation,” Tirumurti said. “The indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel, which we condemn, and the retaliatory strikes into Gaza, have caused immense suffering and resulted in deaths, including women and children.”
India’s envoy urged both sides to show “extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions”, and refrain from trying to change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood. “Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of millions of Indians, who visit the city every year,” he said. “The Old City also houses the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya – the Indian Hospice, which is a historic place associated with a great Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid and located inside the Old City. India has restored this Indian Hospice” he added.
Tirumurti said that India believes every effort should be made to create conducive conditions for the resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine. “In conclusion, I reiterate India’s strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution.”
At least 192 people, including 58 children and 34 women, have been killed in the Gaza strip since the latest series of violence began, reported Al Jazeera. Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children.
Leicester City players Hamza Choudhury and Wesley Fofana celebrated their team’s FA Cup final win against Chelsea with a Palestine flag at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The final was played amid rising tensions and horrific violence in Gaza, and as thousands protested on the streets of Dublin and other major cities worldwide in support of Palestine.
The 23 year-old Choudhury, a former England Under-21 international, came on in the final 10 minutes as Fofana played a key role in the heart of the Leicester defence. The 20 year-old has represented the French Under-21 team on three occasions.
City beat Chelsea 1-0 in a stunning upset to win the FA Cup. The Foxes hadn’t reached an FA Cup final since 1969, and had never won the competition. Youri Tielemans scored the only goal of the match to an eruption of cheers from the crowd of 21,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
At least 140 people have been killed by Israeli forces since Monday, including 39 children and 21 women, Palestinian medical officials said. Israel has reported 10 dead.
The J&K Police detained a 32-year-old artist, Mudasir Gul, on Friday in the wake of a pro-Palestine protest that broke out in Srinagar’s Padshahi Bagh locality earlier in the day.
A mural was drawn by Mudasir on the gates of a spillover channel of Jhelum river near the locality and it showed the weeping face of a woman, her head draped under a Palestinian flag, with ‘We are Palestine’ written in bold, white letters.
Mudasir also participated in the protest along with other youngsters who reportedly set ablaze an Israeli flag. The video of the protest had gone viral on social media.
Mudasir’s brother, Badr-ul-Salam told reporters in Srinagar that a police team raided their home soon after the video circulated on social media. “They took him to the place where the mural was drawn and asked him to deface it,” Salam said.
The security agencies in the Valley are keenly watching the buzz on social media platforms amid fears that the Israeli bombing of Palestinians in Gaza may “disturb the peace” and trigger “disorder on Kashmir’s streets”.
A handful of peaceful protests have been reported in the past few days in parts of Kashmir. And on Saturday, the Shopian police detained a popular religious preacher, Sarjan Barkati for speaking about the unraveling situation in Palestine.
Barkati’s wife, Shabrooza, said he had delivered a sermon on the eve of Eid in Reban village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district in which he prayed for Gaza and an end to the killings of civilians, including children in the Israeli airstrikes.
“A police party took him away in the (Saturday) afternoon,” said Shabrooza, a homemaker, adding that Barkati, who spent four year in jail after he was arrested in 2016, was released only in October 2020. The couple has two children.
In 2016, Barkati became one of the faces of the massive protest movement in Kashmir sparked by the killing of the Hizbul Mujahideen’s Burhan Wani in an encounter with the security forces.
