 "maldives")
In the midst of a diplomatic row with the Maldives, the country's former Defence Minister, Mariya Ahmed Didi, has remarked that disparaging remarks directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi reveal the Maldives government's "short-sightedness," adding that India has been a reliable ally. Meanwhile, the Congress has said the island nation is now in the Chinese "sphere of influence", and there needs to be a reality check.
In Male, the Maldivian government conveyed to Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar that the remarks against PM Modi do not represent its views. Maldives is facing a backlash after three ministers from the Maldives cabinet made derogatory comments against PM Modi following his visit to Lakshadweep last week. Many have claimed that they have cancelled their planned trips to the Maldives because of the row.
Here are the top points on India-Maldives diplomatic row
1. Former Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi said on Monday that derogatory comments against PM Modi demonstrate the "short-sightedness" of the Maldives government, adding that India has been a reliable ally, assisting in various sectors, including defence. She also criticised any attempt to undermine the longstanding relationship.
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Didi also voiced dissatisfaction over disparaging remarks, highlighting India as the "911 call" for the Maldives, always coming to their aid in times of need. "It is short-sightedness on the part of the present administration. We are a small country who are friends with all, but we cannot deny that we share borders with India. We share similar security concerns. India has always helped us. They have been helping us even in the defence sector with capacity building, providing us with equipment, and trying to make us more self-sufficient," Mariya Ahmed Didi said.
#WATCH | Male: On the row over Maldives MP's post on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Former Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi says, "... India has been our 911 call, whenever we need it, we give a call and you all come to our rescue. That kind of a friend. When you see… pic.twitter.com/9X64vqwWwg
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2024
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2. Mickail Naseem, a Maldives Member of Parliament, has asked the Parliament to summon the foreign minister in response to the Maldives government's inactivity and lack of urgency.
The Parliamentarian has also formally urged that the parliamentary committee summon the implicated officials for questioning, emphasising the importance of accountability and prompt action in response to the disrespectful remarks made by senior officials against PM Modi.
"Have formally requested the Parliament to summon the foreign minister for questioning following the inaction & lack of urgency shown by GoM regarding derogatory remarks against PM Modi by its senior officials. Request also sent to summon said officials to the parliamentary committee," Mickail Naseem posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Have formally requested the Parliament to summon the Foreign Minister for questioning following the inaction & lack of urgency shown by GoM regarding derogatory remarks against PM Modi by its senior officials. Request also sent to summon said officials to parliamentary committee. pic.twitter.com/LHji5y29d5
— Meekail Naseem ???? (@MickailNaseem) January 8, 2024
3. On Monday, Congress leader Manish Tewari stated that the Maldives is now in the Chinese "sphere of influence" and that a reality check is required. The Congress MP's post came in the wake of an ongoing row between India and the Maldives.
"Maldives is now in the Chinese sphere of influence. Sri Lanka has bent to the Chinese wind. China is gobbling up territory in Bhutan. China has accumulated disproportionate influence over the polity in Nepal. The Military Junta in Myanmar, for decades, has been beholden to the Communist Party of China (CPC). Pakistan is a client state of China. China has developed proximate ties to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Chinese economic influence in Bangladesh is also on the ascendant. What is India‘s influence in South Asia currently? Folks need to take a reality check!," the Congress MP said in a post on X.
Maldives is now in the Chinese sphere of influence.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) January 8, 2024
Sri Lanka has bent to the Chinese wind .
China is gobbling up territory in Bhutan.
China has accumulated disproportionate influence over the polity in Nepal.
The Military Junta in Myanmar for decades has been beholden to… https://t.co/ZbRMnBflNy
4. On Monday, the Maldivian envoy to India was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry and conveyed its strong concerns over disparaging social media posts against PM Modi by three now-suspended ministers as the backlash over the remarks continued for the second day.
The Maldivian administration told Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar that the remarks against PM Modi do not represent its views. Though Maldivian media reported that Muhawar had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry, the Indian High Commission stated that he had a "pre-arranged" meeting with Ambassador at Large Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed.
5. EaseMyTrip, one of India's largest travel platforms, suspended airline bookings to the Maldives on Monday after derogatory social media posts against PM Modi strained relations between the South Asian neighbours. According to news agency Reuters, EaseMyTrip EASM.NS co-founder and executive director Prashant Pitti stated that bookings to the Maldives have been suspended "indefinitely."
"We decided to take this step because any self-respecting nation should do this. The statements which we heard from the representatives of the Maldives government were extremely derogatory to the country," Pitti told Reuters.
6. Following a tense online debate started by Maldivian leaders against PM Modi, the hashtag #BoycottMaldives began trending on social media, and various Indians, including celebrities, claimed to have cancelled their scheduled vacations to the island nation.
Several users shared photos of picturesque Lakshadweep islands, and celebrities promoted Indian tourism in reaction to the anti-India barbs by Maldivian leaders.
7. Former Sports Minister of the Maldives, Ahmed Mahloof, also expressed concern over the diplomatic row, saying "Indians boycotting the Maldives" will hit the country hard.
"I am deeply worried about the escalating situation regarding the comments about our closest neighbour. Indians boycotting the Maldives would have a huge impact on our economy. It would be hard for us to recover from such a campaign. I call on the government to swiftly take serious action to solve the issue as soon as possible," he said.
I’m deeply worried about the escalating situation regarding the sensitive comments about our closest neighbor.
— Ahmed Mahloof (@AhmedMahloof) January 7, 2024
Indians boycotting the Maldives would have a huge impact on our economy. It would be hard for us to recover from such a campaign.
I call on the government to swiftly…
8. The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry or MATI has said it strongly condemns the derogatory comments made by some deputy ministers on social media platforms against India and PM Modi, days after his visit to Lakshadweep.
"The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry strongly condemns the derogatory comments made by some Deputy Ministers on social media platforms, directed towards the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi, as well as the people of India. India is one of our closest neighbours and allies. India has always been a first responder to various crises throughout our history and we are immensely grateful to the close relationship that the Government as well as people of India have maintained with us," said MATI in a statement on Monday.
— Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (@matimaldivesmv) January 8, 2024
9. The Maldives government has suspended three deputy ministers for making disparaging remarks against PM Modi. Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid all worked for the archipelago's Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts and were disciplined for their comments on social media, a senior government official told Reuters.
On previous occasions, too, the three had made derogatory remarks against PM Modi.
10. The diplomatic row between India and Maldives erupted after PM Modi posted pictures of himself on a pristine beach during his visit to Lakshadweep.
And those early morning walks along the pristine beaches were also moments of pure bliss. pic.twitter.com/soQEIHBRKj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024
Amid the row, Maldivian President Muizzu arrived in Beijing on Monday on a five-day state visit to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and sign several agreements to bolster bilateral ties.
