Praful Khodabhai Patel (born 28 August 1957) is an Indian politician, who is currently the
administrator
Administrator or admin may refer to:
Job roles Computing and internet
* Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database
* Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum
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of the
union territories of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is a union territory in India. The territory was constituted through the merger of the former territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Plans for the proposed merger were announced by th ...
, and of
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...
.
Political career
Patel began his political career winning the
2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election for the
Himatnagar constituency in
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
for its
12th legislative assembly. Patel's father Khodabhai Ranchhodbhai Patel was a
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS,, ) is an Indian right-wing politics, right-wing, Hindutva, Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organisation. It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar ( ...
(RSS) leader and
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
often visited him. From 21 August 2010 Patel served as
MoS Home Minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
of
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
under
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
. His ties with Modi helped his ministerial appointment, vacated by
Amit Shah
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...
in jail for the
Sohrabuddin Sheikh extrajudicial killing case. Prior to
Amit Shah
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...
's arrest
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
inducted four ministers in cabinet reshuffle and Praful Patel received eight of Amit Shah's ten portfolios.
Praful Patel then lost the
2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election cutting short his political career in
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
.
After
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
became
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
in 2014, Modi appointed Patel as the
Administrator of Daman and Diu in 2016 followed shortly after by
Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Praful Patel was one of the politically appointed administrators in the history of the union territories. Such positions have commonly been held by
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
officers.
On 26 January 2020, he became the inaugural
Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu of the newly formed union territory of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is a union territory in India. The territory was constituted through the merger of the former territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Plans for the proposed merger were announced by th ...
after the merger of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli, wedged in between Maharashtra and Gujarat states; and ...
and
Daman and Diu
Daman and Diu (; ) was a union territory in northwestern India. With an area of , it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Daman and Diu Island, geographically separated ...
. Consequent to the passing of the Administrator of
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...
,
Dineshwar Sharma, Praful Patel assumed additional charge as Administrator of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep from 5 December 2020.
Controversies
2019 Election Officer coercion
On 10 April 2019
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...
issued a notice to Praful K Patel stating that his actions violated provisions under the
Representation of the People Act, 1951
The Representation of the People Act, 1951 is an act of Parliament of India to provide for the conduct of election of the Parliament of India, Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Vidhan Sabha, Legislature of each State, the ...
. The commission reprimanded Patel for having issued a "coercive" request to
Kannan Gopinathan, the
collector for
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli, wedged in between Maharashtra and Gujarat states; and ...
, and withdraw any notices issued to Gopinathan or any other election officials "during the election period."
Election Commission Officials state that Praful Patel called election officers to issue them direct instructions. Crucial interference from Patel came after
Gopinath sent a notice to
Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar
Mohan Sanjibhai Delkar (19 December 1962 – 22 February 2021) was an Indian politician and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, tribal rights advocate, who was elected seven times as a member of Lok Sabha from Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Lok Sab ...
for actions that violated the model code. Praful Patel retaliated by issuing a notice to
Gopinath which Election Commission Officials described as an act of political vengeance.
Since then,
Kannan Gopinathan has been replaced wit
Sandeep Kumar Singhas
collector.
2019 Daman indigenous land clearing protests
Valuable seafront land along the 700 metre stretch from Moti Daman Lighthouse to Jampore beach is claimed to be owned by
adivasi
The Adivasi (also transliterated as Adibasi) are heterogeneous tribal groups across the Indian subcontinent. The term is a recent invention from the 20th century and is now widely used as a self-designation by groups classified as Scheduled Tr ...
fishing communities who have lived there for generations as well as by
NRI Damanese predominantly living in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
,
UK. In December 2018, local residents received official looking documents purportedly instructed by Praful Patel ordering the confiscation of their land and demolition of homes to make way for development.
In January 2019 Praful Patel hosted a hastily arranged meeting with British
MP Keith Vaz
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British politician who served as the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 Unit ...
but managed to allay his fears about the case. However, by November the bulldozing went ahead and the Daman protests began.
On 3 November 2019, Daman
Collector Rakesh Minhas issued a
Section 144 order banning peaceful assembly of four or more persons, slogan-shouting and the use of loudspeakers across the entire district and ordered the conversion of two High Schools into 'temporary jails'. 70 protesters were held in these 'temporary jails' and another 8 arrests were made. Few of the
adivasi
The Adivasi (also transliterated as Adibasi) are heterogeneous tribal groups across the Indian subcontinent. The term is a recent invention from the 20th century and is now widely used as a self-designation by groups classified as Scheduled Tr ...
fisherfolk were rehoused whilst most languished traumatised and homeless on the streets near the rubble of their razed homes.
2021 suicide of Mohan Delkar
Tribal rights advocate and Lok Sabha MP
Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar
Mohan Sanjibhai Delkar (19 December 1962 – 22 February 2021) was an Indian politician and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, tribal rights advocate, who was elected seven times as a member of Lok Sabha from Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Lok Sab ...
hanged himself at Hotel Sea Green in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
on 22 February 2021 leaving a 15-page suicide note. The note held politicians and administrative officials responsible for "injustice", "insult" and "bias" meted out to him and specifically named Patel.
On 5 July 2020, Delkar had posted a video on Twitter threatening to resign as Lok Sabha MP because the local administration was "hounding him". Then on 19 September in parliament he raised the issue of "misbehaviour" by local officials "as part of a conspiracy" claiming that on
Liberation Day
Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...
(2 August), he was "denied the right to address the people of the region as an MP".
First Information Report (FIR) under
Section 306 (abetment of suicide), 389 (Putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and sections of
was filed against Patel, Daman Collector Sandeep Kumar Singh, former police superintendent Sharad Darade, and few politicians including BJP leader Fatehsinh V Chauhan; who has a history of
land grabbing
Land grabbing is the large-scale acquisition of land through buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and Multinational corporation, transnational companies, governments, and individuals.
While used broadly throughout history, land g ...
disputes. Delkar's son Abhinav has alleged that Patel threatened Delkar to pay or he would be implicated under
PASA Act.
2021 Lakshadweep policies
Following his appointment as the
Administrator of Lakshadweep in December 2020, Patel's administration ended mandatory quarantine for those entering the territory,
and allowed anyone with a negative
RT-PCR test to travel to the islands.
The territory had its first
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
case on 18 January 2021, and total cases had reached 7300 by the end of May.
Mohammed Faizal P. P.,
Member of Parliament for
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...
, attributed the rise in cases to the loosening of travel restrictions; the administration said that the surge was instead caused by the emergence of
a more virulent SARS-CoV-2 strain, resumption of economic activity, and an increase in cases in
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, which is the territory's main link to mainland India.
Patel has also suggested policy changes such as instructing port authorities to cut ties with
Beypore port and
Cochin Port in
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
and divert all maritime exchanges to
New Mangalore Port
New Mangalore Port or New Mangalore Port Trust(NMPT) is an all-weather port at Panambur, Mangalore in Karnataka state in India. The total land area of the port is approximately . The New Mangalore Port is the deepest inner harbour on the wes ...
.
All
dairy farms on the islands, run by the Animal Husbandry Department, were ordered to be shut down, with the cattle to be auctioned off, and dairy products instead to be imported from
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
-based Amul.
Patel's administration also lifted alcohol restrictions, and banned beef and removed meat from the school
Midday Meal Scheme
The Mid Day Meal Scheme, officially PM-POSHAN, is a mandatory free school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional status of school-age children nationwide. The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in g ...
.
Many locals accused the administration of implementing a
Hindutva
Hindutva (; ) is a Far-right politics, far-right political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Da ...
agenda. Patel's administration also demolished fishermen's coastal sheds, citing violations of the Coast Guard Act.
The Administration has argued that these policies are still in pipeline and yet to be implemented.
Opposition political parties such as the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
and
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
have came out in protest. Some local members of Bharatiya Janata Party in Lakshadweep also voiced their criticism against Patel's policies. Following the controversy, the
All India Congress Committee
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from States and union territories of India, state-level Pradesh Congress Commit ...
submitted a request to the Lakshadweep administration seeking permission to visit the island, but their request was rejected citing the
COVID-19 situation in the island.
2023 proposed demolition of a Catholic chapel in Daman
In February 2023, the
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
community in
Daman, is trying to prevent the demolition of a more than 400 year old chapel, still an active place of worship, which the Provincial Administrator, Praful Patel, wants to turn into a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
field.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Praful Khoda
Living people
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat
Gujarat MLAs 2007–2012
Administrators of Daman and Diu
Administrators of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Year of birth missing (living people)