On Sunday, the Maldivian government suspended three deputy ministers for disparaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. The Maldivian ambassador to India was called to the ministry of external affairs on Monday when he was informed of grave concerns regarding comments made by several Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, according to sources. Three deputy ministers were suspended by the Maldivian government on Sunday for disparaging posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. Following his visit to Lakshadweep, the three deputy ministers chastised Modi for his post on “X,” implying that it was an attempt to position the Union Territory as a substitute travel destination for the Maldives.
Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, deputy ministers in the youth ministry, have reportedly been stopped due to their positions, according to reports in the Maldivian media. Official sources in New Delhi reported that on Sunday, the Indian high commission in Male brought up the issue head-on with the Maldivian foreign ministry. The minister’s derogatory comments have caused controversy in India, where a number of well-known figures have urged viewers of social media platform X to visit their own country rather than travel to the Maldives. Social media posts purportedly stated that some Indians are postponing their planned vacations to the Maladies due to the controversy.
According to the foreign ministry of the Maldives, the government is aware of disparaging comments made about foreign leaders on social media, but the remarks are personal opinions and do not reflect the government’s stance. The Maldivian government is aware of disparaging comments made on social media sites about foreign dignitaries and prominent figures. The Maldivian foreign ministry stated in a statement on Sunday that these opinions are personal and do not reflect the views of the Maldivian government.
Following Maldives Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep island, three junior officials of Mohamed Muizzu’s government made disparaging remarks about him. The Maldives envoy to India, Ibrahim Shaheeb, was called to the Ministry of External Affairs the morning, and the Male was demarcated for the unsavory conduct of the now-suspended three junior ministers. While Shaheeb received a robe down at the MEA, the Indian High Commissioner to Male informed the Maldives Foreign Minister that such remarks were completely uncalled for and unacceptable for India.
India has made it very clear that it will not be content with a rap on the knuckles of the misbehaving junior ministers, even though Mohammed Muizzu suspended his three junior ministers. Prior to Muizzu’s five-day state visit to China, the controversy broke out. Riding on the “India Out” campaign, which promised to withdraw Indian troops stationed in the archipelago for relief and rescue efforts, Muizzu won the election last year.
