Fifteen Lakshadweep BJP leaders, including general secretary Abdul Hameed Mullipuzha, have, reportedly, tendered their resignation in protest against the sedition case filed against filmmaker and actor Aisha Sulthana.
The filmmaker had, in a Malayalam TV channel debate, alleged the Centre used ‘biological weapons’ for the spread of COVID-19 in Lakshadweep islands. Sulthana has been at the forefront of the ongoing campaigns and protests against the reforms and proposed legislation initiated by administrator Praful Khoda Patel.
She was booked by the Lakshadweep Police on sedition charges following a complaint by BJP's Lakshadweep unit president Abdul Khader.
However, in a blow to the saffron party, a section of leaders. Led by Mullipuzha, resigned from the party membership, calling the sedition case against Sulthana "false and unjustified".
In a letter to Khader, the party leaders said at a time when BJP workers in Lakshadweep have been protesting against the "undemocratic actions" of Patel, "you have filed a false and unjustified complaint" against Sulthana, and "ruining her family and her future".
The letter also reiterated that the actions taken by Patel were "anti-people, anti-democracy and causing extreme suffering among people".
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"You also know that several BJP leaders of Lakshadweep have already spoken on the various wrongdoings of administrator and the district collector. It's just in the same way that Chetlat resident Aisha Sulthana also shared her opinion in the media," the letter stated.
In his complaint, Khader said Sulthana’s was an anti-national act, which tarnished the “patriotic image” of the Union government and sought action against her. A case under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) of the Indian Penal code was registered against the filmmaker.
Responding to the case, Sulthana, in a Facebook post, wrote, "I did not raise my voice for the land just so that I will lose my strength when they attempt to weaken me. From now my voice will only grow louder.”
"The BJP leader who filed the case hails from Lakshadweep. While he betrays his native land, I will keep fighting for it. It is the betrayers who will find themselves alone tomorrow," she said in her post.
"Now to the people of Lakshadweep: The sea protects you and you protect it in return. What the betrayers have and what we don't is fear," Sulthana wrote.
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Lakshadweep has been witnessing protests by locals over the recent actions and administrative reforms being implemented by Patel. The residents are seeking repeal of the proposed Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation, the Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (PASA or the Goondas Act) and the Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation (LAPR).
Since then, social media has been flooded with #SaveLakshadweep, with thousands of others trending the hashtag.
Expressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep, the Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on May 31, demanding the recall of the administrator and requesting that the Centre immediately intervene to protect the lives and livelihood of the islanders.