Independent fishers’ union Matsya Thozhilai Aikya Vedhi, expressing solidarity with the protesting people of Lakshadweep islands, described the controversial actions of the island’s administrator Praful K. Patel as fascist and a forerunner to the implementation of the declared policy of Blue Economy.
The fishers’ union members organised a dharna before the office of the island administration in Kochi on Monday. P.B. Dayanandan, district secretary, and Charles George, convener, say the actions of Mr. Patel are more than anti-minority steps. These actions give us a foretaste of surrendering the economy to private monopolies.
These actions also foreshadow the actions that will be taken by the government to take fishing rights from the people in the name of Blue Economy. The administrator is also preparing ground for surrendering land assets and rights to exploit natural and deep sea resources to private monopolies favourable to the government, they add. These actions indicate that the country has strayed from its declared policy of non-alignment and they are preparing ground for American domination, the fishers claim.
