Decode Politics: As PM Modi visits, why Lakshadweep is more than 32 sq km for BJP

An archipelago of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km, making it the country’s smallest UT, Lakshadweep may seem a speck in the BJP’s grand India project. However, from the perspective of the projection of Modi as a national leader cutting across the North-South discourse, to reinforcing his government’s message of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ in a territory that is almost entirely Muslim, Lakshadweep is a crucial speck.

Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the… pic.twitter.com/tYW5Cvgi8N

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024

 The ‘strong borders’ focus

BJP leaders say the PM’s visit, his announcement of development projects and the party’s growing activities in Lakshadweep are all part of the importance the Modi government places on territories that are strategically significant. Lakshadweep is considered particularly vital due to the increased Chinese engagement in its neighbours Sri Lanka and Maldives.

In his speech at Kavaratti announcing the projects for Lakshadweep, Modi did not mince his words contrasting his government’s initiatives with that of his predecessors. “After Independence, the only priority of governments that remained at the Centre for decades was the development of their own political parties. Far-off states, border areas or those in the middle of the ocean were not given any attention… In the last 10 years, our government has made border areas and areas at the edge of the sea its priority… In 2020, I guaranteed you that you will get a fast Internet facility within the next 1,000 days. Today, the Kochi-Lakshadweep Submarine Optical Fibre Project has been inaugurated. Now, Internet in Lakshadweep will be available at 100 times higher speed.”

The Kerala link

Despite failing to make a mark electorally in Kerala, the BJP remains determined to win over one of the country’s last holdouts when it comes to the party. And Lakshadweep could be a crucial gateway to the state.

The Kerala mainland is the closest territory to Lakshadweep, and the UT is dependent on it for most of its needs. The people of the two territories have close social and cultural links, and Malayalam is the most common language spoken on the islands.

The projects announced on Wednesday

A member of the NCP, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal acknowledged the Modi government’s “concerted efforts” behind several projects the PM inaugurated or launched today, including the optical fibre project, the Jal Jeevan Mission to reach drinking water to the people, and the distribution of cooking gas cylinders.

Almost 80% of the households on the islands now get tap water while gas cylinders reach every island, Faizal said.

The other project announced by Modi Wednesday was the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination plant at Kadmat, which will produce 1.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water every day. Additionally, he announced Functional Household Tap Connections for all households on the Agatti and Minicoy islands.

Given the strategic importance of Lakshadweep, the government is also considering an Air Force station in the UT, a source said. “With the affiliation of Maldives towards China getting deeper, an airport for defence purposes on the Minicoy Island (which is closest to Maldives) is also on the cards… It can be used by civilians as well,” the source said.

Modi’s second visit

It was the second time the PM was visiting Lakshadweep. The first time was in December 2017, when Modi chaired a high-level meeting at Kavaratti to review the situation after Cyclone Ockhi hit the area.

But it has been in the Modi government’s second term that the BJP has really turned its focus to the islands. In December 2020, overruling reservations of local political leaders, the Centre chose a former Gujarat minister seen as close to Modi, Praful Khoda Patel, as the Administrator of the UT.

A number of initiatives taken by Patel since, including a ban on beef; the draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation, 2021, which gives the Administrator the power to remove or relocate islanders from their property for any developmental activity; the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, under which a person can be detained without any public disclosure for a period of up to one year; and the draft panchayat notification, disqualifying a member with more than two children from becoming a member, have run into problems with locals.

Several steps taken by Patel also ran foul of the local BJP unit. The former BJP general secretary of Lakshadweep, Mohammad Kasim, had called him “authoritarian” and said his proposals were not in the interests of people on the islands.

The party, however, has remained largely unruffled in its efforts to expand its base in the UT. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Agarwal, who is in-charge of Lakshadweep, has been focusing, for example, on getting the islands air connectivity – an issue with huge appeal for a population dependent on the mainland for almost everything, including medical assistance and education.

Agarwal has always said he is only interested in making “genuine efforts” for the islands, and that the people there are “nationalists”.

The Opposition’s view

Faizal asks why the PM was silent on Wednesday on “the biggest concern of the residents – the current administration’s attempts to take back the occupancy rights of residents”. “The people here expected the PM to say something… Also, this administration has not yet done anything to develop the transportation sector, which is the most important issue for the residents. There was a 15-year perspective plan, but it is almost scrapped. As a result, old ships are out and there are no new ones to replace them,” the MP said.

According to him, the BJP is a long way still from making any electoral impact in Lakshadweep. “The NCP and Congress dominate the scene,” he said.

However, as the BJP learns from its missteps, quite like how it did in the Northeast with its varied minorities, “changing the game in an area with just over 55,000 eligible voters would not be tough”, a source said.

A Union minister added that Modi’s visit should not be seen through the lens of politics alone. The government had the option of inaugurating the projects for Lakshadweep announced on Wednesday from Kochi, or virtually, he said. “But the Prime Minister decided to go to Kavaratti because he has the conviction that it is important to get the people there included in India’s development process. The BJP knows it may not get the party any votes or win it an election in Lakshadweep.”