Distancing itself from the controversy, Maldives on Sunday suspended three ministers whose social media posts against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has triggered a social media fury, even as Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Munu Mahawar has taken up the matter with the government in the island nation.
As the controversy raged on in the social media, several Indians claimed they cancelled their scheduled vacation to the island nation. Leading sports person-alities and film stars, meanwhile, termed the remarks as unwanted. They also expressed their support to PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lak-shadweep.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today issued a statement on the stand of the Government of India in relation to some posts on social media that are insulting to neighbouring India,” the Maldives government said in a statement.
“Those who made such posts on social media while in government positions have now been suspended from their jobs,” the statement said.
Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid are the minister who have been suspended.
Shiuna, the Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment in post on X mocked and made a disrespectful reference to PM Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep which lies close to Maldives.
The post by Shiuna — which has now been deleted — featured images of PM Modi from his recent visit to the Union Territory.
Sharing photos of his visit to the virgin beaches of Lakshadweep, PM Modi sought to draw global attention to the untapped tourism potential of the ar-chipelago.
The Maldivian government said it was aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. “These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives,” read an official release by the Maldivian Foreign Ministry on Sun-day.
The government added that it believes that the freedom of expression should be exercised in a “democratic and responsible manner, and in ways that do not spread hatred, negativity, and hinder close relationships between the Maldives and its international partners”.“Moreover, the relevant authorities of the government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks,” the government re-lease stated further.
Posting images from his visit to the Union Territory on January 2, PM Modi also shared an ‘exhilarating experience’ of him trying his hand at snorkelling.
In a series of posts on X, PM 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.”
“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 Rs 1,150 crore in Agatti on Tuesday.
Maldives’ former President condemns use of ‘hateful language’
New Delhi: Former Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday condemned the use of ‘hateful language’ against India by government officials on social media, saying New Delhi has always been a good friend to the island nation.
Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, Solih posted, “I con-demn the use of hateful language against India by Maldivian government offi-cials on social media.”
He stressed that “India has always been a good friend to the Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friend-ship between our two countries”.
