The recent confrontation between India and the Maldives has now resulted in the “suspension” of three Maldivian Deputy Ministers by the island country after the Indian high commission in Maldives on Sunday raised the issue of disrespectful remarks made by a few ministers of the government.
This issue erupted after Prime Minister Modi visited Lakshadweep and subsequent statements were shared by Maldivian authorities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcased Lakshadweep, an Indian Union Territory known for its magnificent beaches, during his early January visit. He used social media to share photographs and videos, promoting Lakshadweep as an alternative tourism destination to the Maldives.
“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 islands for their hospitality. Here are some glimpses, including aerial glimpses from Lakshadweep” he tweeted on ‘X’ formerly known as Twitter.
The issue began principally when a prominent minister in the Muizzu-led administration, Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, accused India of singling out the Maldives. He emphasised India’s inability to compete with the Maldives in beach tourism, following PM Modi’s widely distributed Lakshadweep post. As a result, several people on social media suggested the union territory as a possible tourism destination instead of the Maldives.
Majid’s tweet had a lasting impact even though he deleted it. His words elicited harsh and aggressive responses from prominent Maldivian government officials and influential social media figures. These words were directed not only at Modi but also at the larger Indian population.
In a now-deleted post on the X platform, Deputy Minister of Youth Development Information and Arts, Mariyam Shiuna referred to PM Modi as a “clown” and “Israel’s puppet”. After that, her government suspended her. Shiuna also allegedly compared India to cow dung.
What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr. Narendra diver with life jacket. #VisitMaldives #SunnySideOfLife,” she said in her Twitter post.
Malsha Sharif, a deputy minister in the same ministry, too expressed negative feelings towards India. Sharif and Mariyam Shiuna, as well as Hasan Zihan, the deputy minister of transportation and civil – have all been suspended.
The Maldives government was quick to clarify their stance on the matter and said they would not hesitate to take action against those who had made such “derogatory remarks”.
Following Maldivian officials’ mocking of PM Modi’s travel to Lakshadweep, celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, John Abraham, Shraddha Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, and others flooded social media with support for the “Visit Lakshadweep” initiative.
Bollywood Celeb, Akshay Kumar, wrote, “Came across comments from prominent public figures from Maldives passing hateful and racist comments on Indians. Surprised that they are doing this to a country that sends them the maximum number of tourists. We are good to our neighbours but, Why should we tolerate such unprovoked hate? I’ve visited the Maldives many times and always praised it, but dignity first. Let us decide to #ExploreIndianIslands and support our tourism.”
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan retweeted former cricketer Virendra Sehwag’s statement on X (formerly Twitter). Sehwag criticised “insults to our nation and Prime Minister by Maldivian ministers.”
Bharat is known for converting all Aapda into Avsar, and this dig at our country and our Prime Minister by Maldives ministers is a great Avsar for Bharat to create just the necessary infrastructure to make them attractive to tourists and boost our economy. Please do name your favourite unexplored beautiful places,” former cricketer, Sehwag wrote.
“Viru paji .. this is so relevant and in the right spirit of our land .. our own are the very best .. I have been to Lakshadweep and Andaman and they are such astonishingly beautiful locations .. stunning waters beaches and the underwater experience is simply unbelievable. We are Bharat. We are Atmanirbhar. Our self-reliance should not be questioned. Jai hind,” he retweeted on X.
