The world’s most popular leader and Indian Prime Minister recently visited Lakshadweep, bringing controversy over social media. Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep, Maldivian deputy minister of youth empowerment Mariyam Shiuna posted a tweet that sparked a massive social media outrage. Many Indian celebrities, including actor Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, and former cricketer Aakash Chopra, joined the calls to boycott the island nation. Zahid Rameez, a senator for the Progressive Party of the Maldives, also made a controversial statement regarding the following. He questioned whether India could provide better services than the Maldives in a social media post.

In response to a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, an Indian Union territory in the Arabian Sea, the ministers had disparaged Modi on social media platform X, calling him a “clown,” “terrorist,” and “puppet of Israel”.

After the derogatory remarks, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed urged President Mohamed Muizzu to distance the government from Shiuna’s disparaging remarks about Modi, the Maldives government later on Sunday distanced itself from them. He said, India is “instrumental” to the security and prosperity of the Maldives, and he asked Muizzu to assure New Delhi that the remarks don’t represent official policy.

After taking office in November of last year, Muizzu announced during the election that he would change the Maldives’ “India-first” policy and expunge the small number of about 75 Indian military personnel stationed in the nation of over a hundred islands. Even in his election campaign he supported the ‘India Out’ movement and supported the Chinese motive. 

Maldives India Out plan: Disagreement on the Hydrography Pact

There has been some debate in the Indian media regarding the Maldives’ recent decision to end a cooperative hydrographic survey agreement with India. Signed amid the 2019 Maldives visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the agreement was regarded as a representation of India-Maldives defense relations. A few weeks after the island nation formally requested that New Delhi remove its Indian military forces from its territory, Malé made its move. Malé also chose not to attend the most recent Colombo Security Conclave meeting in December 2023, perhaps further highlighting its misgivings regarding defense engagement with India. 

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