15 BJP leaders resign over sedition case against Lakshadweep filmmaker
Over a dozen leaders and workers of the BJP in Lakshadweep have submitted their resignations - protesting against a case of sedition against filmmaker Aisha Sultana. Those who signed the letter included BJP state secretary Abdul Hameed Mullipuzha. Sultana had criticized the Union Territory's Administrator Praful Khoda Patel over his handling of COVID-19 there. Here are more details on this.
'A false and unjustified complaint'
In a letter to the saffron party's chief in Lakshadweep, C Abdul Khader Haji, the leaders accused him of filing a "false and unjustified" complaint against Sultana. "(You are) ruining her family and her future. We convey our strong objection and submit our primary membership from BJP," they wrote. The FIR against Sultana was notably filed after a police complaint by Haji.
'BJP fully aware of Patel's anti-people actions'
"The BJP in Lakshadweep is fully aware of how the present Administrator Patel's actions are anti-people, anti-democracy and causing extreme suffering among people," the letter read. "You also know that several BJP leaders of Lakshadweep have already spoken on the various wrongdoings of the Administrator and the District Collector," the leaders said, further calling Patel's decisions "unscientific, irresponsible."
Centre has deployed a bio-weapon, Sultana had said
Sultana had, during a recent news debate on a local media channel, blamed the rising COVID-19 cases in the UT on Patel's decisions, calling him a "bio-weapon" used by the central government against the people of the islands. "Lakshadweep had zero cases of COVID-19. Now it is reporting a daily spike of 100 cases. What the Centre has deployed is a bio-weapon."
Case filed on charges of hate speech and sedition
A case under the IPC Sections 124-A (sedition) and 153-B (hate speech) was filed against Sultana at the Kavaratti Police station on Thursday. Sultana has since justified her statement in a social media post. "I have compared Patel as a bio-weapon, not the government or the country....You should understand. What else should I call him (sic)," she wrote on Facebook.
Who is Aisha Sultana?
Sultana, who is from Chetlat island of Lakshadweep, is a model, actor, and film director. She made her first directorial with Flush, an independent Malayalam-language movie released last year. Several film fraternity members and prominent politicians from across the country have extended support to Sultana after the said case was filed. The Lakshadweep Sahitya Pravarthaka Sangam also voiced solidarity with her.
Why is Administrator Patel facing severe backlash?
Patel has been facing criticism from leaders of the BJP and the Opposition for various policies that critics say are anti-people and undemocratic. They include doing away with mandatory quarantine rules over COVID-19, ban on cow slaughter and sale of beef, and changes in land use and ownership. Just earlier this week, Lakshadweep residents had observed a 12-hour hunger-strike in protest against these decisions.
