CONGRESS LEADER FOR REMOVAL OF LAKSHADWEEP ADMINISTRATOR

LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary and senior party spokesperson Ajay Maken on Wednesday raised a question mark on the appointment of Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel and demanded his immediate removal.

“Prior to the newly appointed administrator, all 34 administrators were civil servants. So why there was a need to appoint a political person this time,” said Maken at an online discussion “Lakhswadeep Locals Vs Administration” organised by Align India Community.

Maken alleged that the new administrator was “harassing” people by imposing “arbitrary” restrictions.

Wajahat Habibullah, a retired IAS officer, said the recent appointment of a political person who was Gujarat’s former home minister was certainly not to bring development to the small but strategically important island.

“I visited Lakhswadeep with the prime minister in 1985 and then I was there as an administrator from 1987 to 1990. I must say that was the best posting of my life… I must say that the development of Lakshwadeep is far more than that of Gujarat. Its literacy rate is much higher than Gujarat, also there is zero crime rate and zero poverty, which makes it way ahead of any other union territory. There are many sectors in which the island is doing so well,” said Habibullah.