President Mohamed Muizzu and his administration were encouraged by Mohd Nasheed to retract his remarks.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep, the island nation minister made remarks critical of the latter. Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed blasted these remarks on Sunday. Nasheed called India a “key ally” for the security and prosperity of the country of islands, and he denounced as “appalling” minister Mariyam Shiuna’s remarks criticising Modi.
“What appalling language by Maldives Government official Mariyam Shiuna towards the leader of a key ally, that is instrumental for the Maldives’ security and prosperity,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Nasheed further pleaded with President Mohamed Muizzu and his administration to clarify that these remarks do not represent government policy and to disassociate themselves from them. “The Mohamed Muizzu government must distance itself from these comments and give clear assurance to India they do not reflect government policy (sic),” said the former leader.
Prime Minister Modi was called a “clown” and a “puppet” by Shiuna, the deputy minister of youth empowerment of the Maldives, in reference to his recent visit to Lakshadweep. How absurd. The Israeli puppet, Mr. Narendra, diving with a life jacket while visiting the Maldives, she wrote in a post on X. After the outcry and outrage on the microblogging platform, the X post was removed.
In addition to Shiuna, Zahid Rameez, a minister, made fun of Prime Minister Modi. Rameez stated, “The move is great,” while posting an X post that asserted PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep “will boost” tourism in the union territory and represents a “big setback” for the Maldives. But it would be naive to think you could compete with us. How are they going to deliver the service we offer? How on earth are they so tidy? The largest drawback will be the odour that permeates every room.
A boycott of the Maldives and its tourist attractions was called for after the row by a number of Indian celebrities and social media influencers, including former cricket player Aakash Chopra and social media star Sonam Mahajan. The continuing dispute began when Prime Minister Modi visited the union territory of Lakshadweep, piqueing tourists’ curiosity about the island, PM Modi posted a number of photos during his visit, including one of him swimming, which he described as a “exhilarating experience.” He also inaugurated and laid the cornerstone for multiple development projects totaling more than ₹1,150 crore during his visit to Lakshadweep.
He also officially opened the Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant at Kadmat and the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fibre Connection (KLI – SOFC) project.
