Football
Why is Indian footballer CK Vineeth talking about #SaveLakshadweep campaign?
India and East Bengal footballer CK Vineeth recently put out a thread on Twitter urging his fans and followers to speak up against the atrocities the people from the island of Lakshadweep are currently facing.
India and East Bengal footballer CK Vineeth recently put out a thread on Twitter urging his fans and followers to speak up against the atrocities, the people from the island of Lakshadweep are currently facing.
So, what exactly is happening in Lakshadweep which forced a prominent footballer like Vineeth to speak up?
The issue dates back to December 2020 when the then administrator of Lakshadweep Dineshwar Sharma passed away. Following Sharma's sudden demise, the Indian government appointed former Home Minister of Gujarat, Praful Patel, as the administrator of the union territory.
Now, this is where the problems began.
The 63-year-old Patel soon after his appointment scrapped the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the deadly covid-19 which has led to a massive spike in coronavirus infections on the island – a place which did not register a single infection for the entire 2020.
The islanders have also accused Patel of communal hatred and trying to silence the dissenters using the Gunda Act, besides destroying sheds and local institutions set up by the fishing community of Lakshadweep under the pretext of smart cities.
Netizens also fear an internet shutdown in Lakshadweep to keep the situation under check on the island.
Besides Vineeth, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran too has come out and shown his support to the #SaveLakshadweep campaign. On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Administrator's actions posed a serious challenge to the culture and life of the people of Lakshadweep. "Such acts cannot be accepted. Kerala has long-standing ties with Lakshadweep. There is a bid to destroy that. Persons concerned should keep away from such a narrow-minded approach,'' he said.
