KOCHI: Lok Sabha members Benny Behanan and T N Prathapan have sent a notice for breach of privilege motion to Speaker Om Birla against Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel for denial of permission to visit the island. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal had announced that an AICC delegation will visit Lakshadweep to understand the situation in the island after the new reforms were announced.
“An AICC delegation headed by its general secretary Tariq Anwar, including MPs Hibi Eden, T N Prathapan and myself, had submitted an application to visit the island which was rejected by the Lakshadweep administration. On Friday we submitted another application at the Lakshadweep administration office. We are waiting for the response. If they are denying permission in the name of Covid protocol we are ready to submit vaccination certificate. If they reject the application we will approach the President, Prime Minister and Union Home Minister. As MPs we have the right to visit any part of the country. If the government does not grant permission, we will stage a protest in Delhi,” Benny Behanan told TNIE.
Meanwhile, the protest against the reforms continued in the island. The 12 Congress workers who were arrested for staging a protest at Kiltan Island in Lakshadweep launched an indefinite fast on Friday. The protest was against Lakshadweep collector S Askar Ali’s statement in a press meet that drug abuse is high in Kiltan island. Meanwhile, the 10 village panchayats and district panchayat of Lakshadweep are planning to pass resolutions demanding recall of the administrator.
The residents on Friday held protests at their homes holding placards with slogans #SaveLakshadweep, 'Recall administrator' and 'We don’t want liquor in Lakshadweep'. We want the government to recall the administrator, roll back the reforms and ensure peace in the island, said district panchayat member K I Nisamuddin.