Many BJP leaders in Lakshadweep have quit the party following filmmaker Aisha Sulthana being booked for sedition charges for her comments on the spread of Covid-19 in the islands.
Sulthana was booked by the Lakshadweep Police for her comments on a television debate, when she allegedly said that the Central government used ‘biological weapons’ for the spread of Covid-19 in Lakshadweep. She was booked based on a complaint filed by BJP's Lakshadweep unit president, Abdul Khader Haji.
According to a report published by The Indian Express, the BJP leaders who tendered their resignation in Lakshadweep have claimed that Haji’s remarks against Sulthana were “untruthful” and intended to destroy her future.
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“Defending her, they (the former BJP leaders) said she was only speaking for the rights of the people on the islands. They said the entire BJP unit was aware of the ‘enormity’ of (Lakshadweep legislator) Praful Khoda Patel’s ‘anti-democratic, anti-people and terrifying’ policies,” the Indian Express reported.
Locals in Lakshadweep are currently protesting Patel’s slew of new proposed measures, which they claim will adversely impact their unique culture.
A few main proposals introduced by Patel, which have not gone down well with the locals are-- Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation, the Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (PASA or the Goondas Act) and the Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation (LAPR).
