Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed condemned the derogatory remarks made by the Maldives Minister and urged President Mohamed Muizzu to distance the government from the comments.
He said that India is "instrumental" in Maldives' security and prosperity and asked Mr. Muizzu to give assurance to New Delhi that the comments don't reflect government policy.
"What appalling language by Maldives Government official @shiuna_m towards the leader of a key ally, that is instrumental for Maldives' security and prosperity. @MMuizzu gov must distance itself from these comments and give clear assurance to India they do not reflect gov policy," Mr. Nasheed posted on X.
This comes after Maldives Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment Mariyam Shiuna made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media platform X.
The post by Ms. Shiuna — which has now been deleted — featured the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his recent visit to Lakshadweep.
Mr, Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on January 2 and shared several pictures, including an 'exhilarating experience' after he tried his hand at snorkelling. In a series of posts on X, Mr. Modi shared pictures of the white beaches and the pristine blue skies and the ocean, and tagged them with a message that read, "For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list."
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"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...During my stay, I also tried snorkelling — what an exhilarating experience it was! For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list," PM Modi posted on X.
He also laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹1,150 crore in Agatti on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu will be visiting China from January 7-12. This is his second foreign visit after assuming office following the visit to Turkey.
Notably, he departed from a long convention by not visiting India on the first official visit.
Significantly, in December last year, the Maldives said it would not renew the Hydrographic Survey agreement made with India, a Maldives-based news website, The Press, reported.
The removal of Indian troops in the Maldives was the main campaign of Muizzu's party. Currently, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the Maldives.
