Who wants to save
Lakshadweep?
I was initially
amused to see a campaign to ‘save Lakshadweep’! It came to my notice when a
young and popular actor in Malayalam movies gave the first shot with a letter
on Facebook and on Twitter. He was against the new developments planned by the
Lakshadweep administration because it would “destroy the local culture”! I knew
that one of his movies was shot there and when the Island’s 96% Muslim
population’s ‘leaders’ opposed it, he approached the Minister of State in MEA
who is from Kerala, and sought help to have the movie shot there. Afterward, he
gave a Television interview, regretting the state of affairs in that heavenly
place- lack of any decent infrastructure in a beautiful place with such a great
tourism potential, lack of hotels, lack of restaurants, not a single movie
theatre there...
My amusement became
consternation when the entire House of People’s Representatives in Kerala passed
a Resolution seeking recall of Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel and
requesting the immediate intervention of the Centre “to protect the lives and the livelihood of the islanders”! That was indeed a long leap from the interest in
protecting “local culture”! Not that I am alarmed by the possibility of a Kerala
Assembly Resolution doing anything significant enough to hurt Lakshadeep or its
administrator engaged in a lot of significant work for the Holistic Development
of Islands Program under the Island Development Agency constituted by the Union
Government on 1st June 2017 for the development of islands. (The history of
Kerala Assembly Resolutions tell us what wasteful
exercises they have been in the past – in 2008 against George W Bush; in 2009
asking for the release of terror-accused Madhani; in 2013 against Iaraeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; in 2016 against Demonetisation; and in 2019
demanding scrapping of an Act of Parliament – the CAA!)
For the first time in
the country, under the guidance of IDA, an initiative of sustainable
development in the identified Islands within scientifically assessed carrying
capacity has been taken up. These development plans have a focus on the creation of
jobs for the islanders through tourism promotion as well as the export of seafood
and coconut-based products made in the Islands. They have been prepared for 16
islands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 10 in Lakshadweep aiming at
sustainable development in the identified Islands within scientifically
assessed carrying capacity. The first phase has taken up five islands of
Lakshadweep and in four islands of Andaman & Nicobar. The second phase of
IDA programs will focus on suitable areas in 12 more islands of Andaman &
Nicobar Islands and 5 islands in Lakshadweep have been covered.
Some of these
development programs have brought about administrative reforms involving
changes from the past ways ‘of doing things'. It had obviously hurt certain
vested interests in landholding and business operations. They have raised the
issue of ‘culture’ first, and now are expanding the concern to other areas such
as “life and livelihood”! The Lakshadweep Collector Asker Ali IAS had given a
press conference in Cochin a few days back explaining how the administrative
reforms and unprecedented development efforts led by the Administrator Praful
Khoda Patel were subjected to a ‘misleading campaign’. Though some 500Km from
the shores of Kerla, many of us have contacts with the people of the Islands
where they have 4G mobile connections of BSNL and AIRTEL. We know there is no
tension on the Islands, and that the entire campaign does not represent the
sentiments of the people. The administration is proactively considering certain
reforms for the larger public interest of the people of Lakshadweep. But since
almost 95 percent of the 80000 or so Islanders belong to the Muslim Community,
a communal color is being given to work up their sentiments.
For India, this group
of Islands is like Macao for China, Bali for Indonesia, or Phuket for Thailand,
an unbelievably beautiful place that can be made a tourism hub with better
tourist inflow than the Maldives! More importantly, with the threat of China
looming large over India, with our hostile neighbor’s activities in Sri Lanka,
the geographic position of this island offers the Indian Navy a better
outreach in terms of naval patrolling and surveillance across the Western
Indian Ocean. The strategic location of Lakshadweep islands, an archipelago in
the Arabian sea, 200 to 440 km off the southwestern Malabar coast of India has
to be stressed. The Lakshadweep consists of 36 islands. But currently, there are
35 islands, as one island is submerged in water due to sea erosion. The islands
form the smallest union territory of India and their total surface area is only
32 km. It is a Union Territory without its own legislature, but with a single
Member of Parliament.
Strategically these
islands are of immense importance to India. The spread of these islands has
bestowed upon India 20,000 sq. km. of territorial waters and approximately
400,000 sq. km. of Exclusive Economic Zone. But what should be rattling the
Indian Defence Ministry is the recent Chinese ingress into Sri Lanka. China has
acquired a controlling stake in the Hambantota Port Project, and the Colombo
Port City special economic zone. Historically China had conducted much of the
trade with the Arabs using Calicut port as a base. The Chinese take pride in
their History, except for the period of the Opium Wars, when the combined
British-Indian forces devastated them using the might of the Opium poppy plant.
The constantly expanding Chinese footprint in Sri Lanka and Maldives is deeply
inspired by History. President Xi Jinping harbors grandiose ambitions of
extending the Chinese territory far and wide, unopposed by any nation. He is known
to be planning a big offensive naval arc, extending from the Bay of Bengal-Indian
Ocean-Arabian sea. India has a lot of homework to do. But, what needs immediate
attention is to trace the drug-recipient groups operating in Lakshadweep.
Dr G Shreekumar
Menon, IRS, (Rtd) PhD (Narcotics) is Former Director-General, National Academy
of Customs Indirect Taxes and Narcotics, & Multi-Disciplinary School Of
Economic Intelligence India has revealed in detail how the drug trail
fortunately established by Indian Coast Guards as well as Customs point to a
well-planned strategy to destabilize India’s security using the Lakshadweep
Archipelago. The value of the drugs seized just during the period November
2020 to March 31st 2021 is a whopping Rs.5000 crores! Compare this figure with
the annual Budget allocation for 2021-22 for Lakshadweep which is Rs.1349.71
crores. Almost three times the annual budget is the value of drug trafficking
for a period of just 5 months. Within a limited surface area of around 32 km,
the drug trafficking turnover is around Rs.5000 crores. Add to this the value
and quantum of firearms seized; everything adds up to an astronomical figure.
With this kind of hush-hush money being generated, Hawala and money laundering
should also be happening on a large scale.
The hitherto cocooned archipelago is suddenly in the spotlight, as its
dark underbelly is exposed. No wonder that an orchestrated campaign has been
quickly set in motion to ‘save Lakshadweep’. Twitter has also chipped in with
‘Let India Breathe’ campaign, critical about the development plans for the
island. There is no problem if Maldives, Seychelles, Bali islands are developed
to attract tourists, but Lakshadweep embarking on tourist development
activities is to be vehemently opposed. Mercifully, speculation is also rife in some sections of the media that this
instantly organized campaign is a red herring – meant to deflect attention from
the sheer magnitude of the drugs and guns
seizure.
The threatening, new
Chinese presence is barely 290 km from the southernmost tip of the Indian
peninsula – Kanya Kumari, and we hear the news of this massive drugs and guns
trafficking into Lakshadw As such, it can be used to great advantage to enhance
the IN's power-projection capabilities. There have been several instances of our
Coast Guard capturing boats with contraband heroin. The latest was with 300Kg
heroin worth Rs.3000 crore in the international market and 5 AK47 assault
rifles and 1000 round live ammunition! In this context, the Lakshadweep Archipelago
has become more important for the Government of India which is considering
along with the Southern Naval Command in Kochi, could be converted into a
Tri-Command facility.
Dr. Shreekumar Menon
sees a clear geographical shift in the drug trafficking route into India. Sri
Lankan boats ferrying drugs and guns into remote Lakshadweep is going to be a
great challenge for Indian enforcement agencies. The greater challenge will be
to trace how these drugs and guns have possibly found their way into the Indian
mainland, and how much of this bounty has bee received by Organized Crime
Groups, and how much the Drug Trafficking Organizations have participated in
these scary deals. More importantly, how much money has been generated, and
has been unobtrusively integrated into the nation’s financial system? According
to Dr.Shreekumar Menon, to investigate and unravel this transnational crime,
identify, disrupt, and dismantle the drug traffickers, arms traffickers, and
money launderers, India will have to employ an intelligence-driven,
multi-agency approach. Indian Coast Guard has become the front-line defense of
our nation in this onerous task.
Those who have any
misgivings about the fearful scenario painted above may look into what happened
to a small archipelagic state in the Indian Ocean, comprising of 1192 islands
endowed with similarly exquisite natural beauty, and a tourists' paradise in 1988
when coup d'état attempt was made by a group of Maldivians led by businessman
Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist
organization from Sri Lanka PLOTE, the People's Liberation Organisation of
Tamil Eelam, to overthrow the government in the island republic ruled by then
President Gayoom. At the request of President Gayoom, India militarily
intervened in a swift ‘Operation Cactus’ with India Naval Ships also helping
the Indian Army para brigade that landed at the airport on Hulule island,
adjacent to Male Harbor. The cou leaders had taken hostages that included a
Maldivian cabinet minister and his Swiss mother-in-law, in a hijacked ship. RajivG
was the PM then and President Gayoom had personally requested that the rebels
be captured and brought back to Male to face trial. Indian defense forces
achieved that fairly difficult task and could report “Hostages rescued safely
and rebels captured” almost 1000Km from Indian mainland! If the Government of India
India waits long enough, it could be an operation against a mighty power, China
which has a navy with a fleet strength of 777 with 2 aircraft carriers, 74
submarines, 36 destroyers, 52 frigates, 50 corvettes, 29 mine warfare ships and
220 coastal patrol ships, against India’s fleet strength of 285 including 1 aircraft carrier, 16 submarines, 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, 19 corvettes, 3
mine warfare ships and 139 coastal patrol ships. The Air Forces and Armies are
equally mismatched.
The Government of
India has for the first time since Independence showing greater interest in the
overall development of Lakshadweep mainly for the reasons given above. Being a
part of India it is also necessary not to keep this Archipelago as a museum-piece, but to bring into the mainstream of the national political, economic and
cultural life as an integral part of India; offering its people better living
standards, and a better future.
One criticism is
about the proposal to bring change in panchayat regulation not allowing people
with more than two children to participate in the election, - a move to push
for family planning and to empower women in the Islands, offering them 50%
seats. The ‘two children rule’ will not apply to people who already have more
than two children!
Another contentious
reform is the draft Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation
2021, which is opposed, questioning why such a law should be implemented in a
place that is known for some of the lowest crime rates in the country! The
Collector clarifies that such a law is being implemented considering the
‘future’ of Lakshadweep! “Till now, Lakshadweep is a peaceful place. But in the
next 10 years, the situation may worsen, considering emerging conditions”
clarified the Collector! It is worth remembering that there have been 40
drug-related cases on the islands during the last two years!
The move to ban beef
in the islands through the draft law in the name of ‘animal preservation’ which
will ban slaughter, transportation, and selling or buying beef products is
taken up as a matter of life and death! This is a place where they had rejected the setting up of a statue of the Father of the Nation, and you expect his idea of
anti-cow slaughter written into the Constitution of India as a Directive
Principle to be accepted without any opposition? Fish is the staple food of the
people in the Islands. The soil appears to be infertile for growing vegetables
and fruits. Import of more vegetables and fruits from other Indian shores is
considered more important than bringing beef. The government’s introduction of
Amul milk and milk product sale outlets are also opposed God knows why!
I believe there are
no liquor bars in Lakshadweep (illegal liquor is available for Rs.3000plus per
bottle according to my information), and two bar-attached restaurants are
considered in the interest of tourism. Yet another contentious draft proposal
is the Lakshadweep Development Authority Act which aims to widen roads, map,
and earmark zones for construction, mining, commercial or residential activity,
among other things. It also allows for authorities to evict encroachers on the
selected land. Vested interests are raising the issue of Lakshadweep being an
ecologically sensitive area to oppose such developments.
There is an English
expression: ”laying on with a trowel and piling up thick” the propagandists out
to “Save Lakshadweep” are adding one more allegation, that the Covid-19
management in the Centrally administered territory is far from satisfactory.
Those who raise this are from a state which is on top of the chart in
infections, positivity, and death statistics and furious manipulations are on
to bring them down! In the ‘first wave’ of the pandemic in 2020, Lakshadweep
Islands had zero COVID-19 cases, which experts credited to strict quarantine
measures and testing. Meanwhile, since the supplies come mostly from Kerala and
Karnataka (Mangalore port) the pandemic traveled to the islands and 26 people
have died of COVID-19, but 23 of them from co-morbidities. They have a strict
Standard Operating Procedure that bars easy entry of people to the island now.
As in the case of people with serious ailments, COVID-19 patients requiring
emergency treatment are routinely air evacuated and admitted to INHS Sanjivani,
the Naval hospital at Kochi. Navy ships under Southern Naval Command are
operating mission ‘Oxygen Express’ rendering support to Lakshadweep
Administration. The Centre is building two Oxygen plants in the Islands to make
them self-sufficient.
The last point is the genesis of the entire campaign. The Opposition has been jumping from one
non-issue to another - a surfeit of political posturing and scaremongering
about the CAA, then the Farm Laws, and having exhausted their energies in the
earlier ones, using the Muslim vote bank for a politics of hatred and division
is back here in the far-off archipelago. Unable to defeat Modi fair and square
at the ballot box, they are out to bullshit about him after having wound up far
below the electoral threshold in most parts of the country. The important
rallying point against Modi in the Lakshadweep is his former colleague in
Gujarat as Home Minister of Gujarat when Modiji was the CM - Prafful Khoda
Patel, calling him as "anti-people" and demanding an immediate
withdrawal of the "draconian and authoritarian" orders drafted by
him! His offense? Trying to destroy (!) Lakshadweep’s pristine natural beauty
and its unique confluence of cultures… Who makes the allegation, an intellectually-challenged person whose family had spent 10 days there with pork, and a variety
of other meat and liquor flowing, when his father then Prime Minister of India
spent a vacation there with 1700 servants and other retinues, 20 private guests
including unknown foreign nationals other than his wife’s family, and an Indian
Navy’s only Aircraft Carrier, 7 escort ships, aircraft, boats spending hundreds
of crores per day at the cost of the country! The Island's were blocked for
other people, including its occupants considering their security!
Accusations that Modi Government has been working against the “indigenous culture” of Lakshadweep have
flown freely, from Islamic fundamentalists,
seasoned Congress and Left politicians and Kerala ministers to people
wading into the issue for the first time on social media. I would argue that
the views expressed by a cabal of tuppenny actors, sundry politicians with their
own axes to grind, the front organizations led by Leftist “intellectuals”, and
the ‘performing artists’ of a sold media are least important, and relevant in
the context of all I have described above. In fact, their views are cringe-worthy.
I feel irrepressible anger remembering the fact that these conscientiously awakened
intelligent persons who got worked up over the ‘culture” of Lakshadweep
islanders never passed any resolution or wrote any articles or poems about
the 500000 Hindu Pundits were driven away from Kashmir just for being Hindus
and not fitting in the cultural particularity of the Muslims majority there; or
about the gruesome massacre of the 4000-plus Sikhs in 1984... These
are the very same people
seen
deliberately and publicly inciting Muslim Indians to violence over the CAA exploiting sensitive unwarranted Muslim sentiment about the authenticity of
their citizenship! They had spawned vaccine hesitancy first by raising doubts
regarding the efficacy of vaccines made in India calling it Modi Vaccine. They
were also doing flip-flops on the vaccination drive, demanding autonomy for
states when the vaccination drive was centralized and when the Centre
decentralized the process, they demanded centralized procurement of vaccines! I am only worried about
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