Calling India’s Narendra Modi ‘puppet of Israel’, ‘clown’, ‘terrorist’ gets Maldives officials suspended

Modi on January 4 posted on social media praising the “pristine beaches” of India’s Lakshadweep islands, which lie about 130km (80 miles) north of the Maldives at their closest point.

Some viewed his visit as trying to draw tourists away from the globally popular Maldives, whose 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean are dotted with luxury resorts.

Is ‘India Out’ of the Maldives as China-friendly leader Muizzu takes charge?

The Indian High Commission in the Maldives had “strongly raised and expressed concerns” over the comments, a source familiar with the matter said.

The controversy comes ahead of a visit by President Mohamed Muizzu to China on January 8-12. Muizzu won an election last year with a pledge to end the Maldives’ “India first” policy in a region where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence.

Muizzu also pledged to remove a small contingent of 75 Indian military personnel from the nation of just over half a million people.

India has always been a good friend to Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries

Ibrahim Solih, former Maldives President

But after coming to power, Muizzu toned down his anti-Indian rhetoric and said he would not upend the regional balance by replacing Indian forces with Chinese troops.

Some prominent Indians, including actor Akshay Kumar and cricketer Hardik Pandya, expressed dismay at the comments by the now suspended Maldivian officials.

None of the three were immediately available for comment.

In a campaign to promote local tourism, other Indians, from former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to actor Salman Khan, have urged people to visit their own islands rather than go abroad.

Is India-China rivalry over Maldives set to deepen or ‘more fiction than fact’?

#ExploreIndianIslands is the second largest trending hashtag in India on X, and some Indians are sharing screenshots of cancelled bookings of Maldivian holidays.

Maldives’ Foreign Ministry said the government was aware of “derogatory remarks” against foreign leaders and would not tolerate them.

“India has always been a good friend to Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries,” added former Maldives President Ibrahim Solih on X.

Темы и теги

Индия Природа и Погода

Нарендра Моди пупет израиль Мальдивах клон Лакшадвеп террорист чиновник название индия