Denied entry, 8 MPs give breach of privilege notice against Lakshadweep administrator
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New Delhi: After being denied permission to enter Lakshadweep, eight Members of Parliament have given breach of privilege notice against the island’s administrator Praful Khoda Patel Friday evening, for showing “disrespect” to public representatives and “deliberately obstructing” them from visiting the island, which is a part of India.
The delegation of MPs from the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Kerala Congress (M) and the Loktantrik Janata Dal, an ally of ruling Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, wanted to visit the island to do a fact-check on the slew of controversial regulations proposed by Patel since January and its impact on the people.
Based on their findings, they would have submitted a report to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation from the ground.
Lakshadweep has been witnessing a massive uproar from locals and politicians from the region, including the neighbouring state of Kerala, over the contentious policies.
The draft policies include the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation, which gives the administrator powers to remove or relocate islanders from their property for town planning or any developmental activity, the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, introduced in January 2021 which gives the power to detain people without any public disclosure for a period of up to one year, the Animal Preservation Regulation that bans cow slaughter and the Panchayat regulation that disqualifies those with more than two children from getting elected to the gram panchayat.
6 MPs give notice in Rajya Sabha, two in Lok Sabha
Six of the eight MPs — Elamaram Kareem, Binoy Viswam, M.V. Shreyams Kumar, V. Sivadasan, K. Somaprasad and John Brittas — who are all members of the Rajya Sabha have served the notice to the upper house’s secretary general, under Rule 187 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
Meanwhile, CPI(M)’s A.M. Ariff and Thomas Chazhikadan from Kerala Congress (M) gave their notices to the secretary general of the Lok Sabha, under Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
“We told the administration that we will follow all Covid protocols including producing a negative RTPCR report and undertaking the seven day mandatory quarantine after entering the island. But our first request was rejected citing Covid restrictions and the administration did not respond to our second letter,” Kareem told ThePrint.
The CPI(M) MP said that disallowing MPs to enter a part of the country is a breach of Parliamentary privilege.
“This is unconstitutional. Two sessions of the Parliament were held during the Covid pandemic in September 2020 and January this year.The only requirement was that everybody including the PM, vice president and MPs attending the session had to get themselves tested. We also agreed to get ourselves tested but even then we were denied permission.
Lakshadweep collector S. Asker Ali, however, said currently no one from outside is being given permission to enter the island because of the Covid situation.
“We will review it once the Covid situation improves,” Ali told ThePrint.
BJP’s national vice-president A.P. Abdullakutty, who is in-charge of Lakshadweep, told ThePrint, “MPs have the right to give breach of privilege notice. It’s part of parliamentary procedure. But the administration’s point is simple — there are strict Covid restrictions in place. It’s not practical to allow any outsider inside the island now.”
However, NCP MP Mohammed Faizal said that it’s the constitutional right of MPs to visit any place in the country to study the ground situation arising out of any contentious issue or policies.
“How can you deny MPs permission to enter the island? Especially when they are saying that they will adhere to all Covid protocols,” Faizal said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
