Black flags were also raised from some homes as the protests rent the air. Meanwhile, police officials were taking the videos of the protest, and also of homes from where black flags were flying
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — Across Lakshadweep, Monday was observed as a day of protest by islanders, who dressed in black and shouted slogans of “go back” from their homes as Union Territory Administrator Praful Khoda Patel landed there around 2.30 p.m.
Black flags were also raised from some homes as the protests rent the air. Meanwhile, police officials were taking the videos of the protest, and also of homes from where black flags were flying
This is his seventh visit by Patel after taking over as the new Administrator. He is slated to stay there for a week.
For a while now, Kerala’s Congress and the ruling Left here have been up in arms and have expressed solidarity with the islanders, who are on a protest mode after new measures and accusing Patel of trying to implement the “Sangh parivar agenda”.
Earlier in the day, Patel on Monday ducked his travel to the island through the Cochin airport, said Congress MPs from Kerala.
Hibi Eden and T.N. Prathapan had arrived in the VVIP lounge of the airport here after getting information that Patel is arriving here on a special flight to fly onward to Lakshwadeep.
“We had information that Patel would land here on a special flight and from here, would take a scheduled Air India ATR flight to the island. But after we reached here, we found out that he is not landing here and instead is flying from Daman and Diu,” said Eden.
“All know that we (Congress) are on a protest against the ‘reforms’ of the administrator, which are against the interests of the islanders. We came to meet him to request him to allow a delegation of Congress MPs to visit the island and also to see that no new rules should be enacted which do not have the concurrence of the islanders,” added Eden, who represents the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, where Lakshadweep has a full-fledged office. — IANS
