On Sunday (7th January), India officially raised objections to the derogatory remarks made by a sitting Maldivian Minister Mariyam Shiuna against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As per a report by WION, the Indian government raised the matter with the incumbent Muizzu government in Maldives. The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between India and the island nation of Maldives.
Breaking: India raises derogatory remarks made by Maldives minister Shiuna with Muizzu Govt. https://t.co/4Gj0roY353
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 7, 2024
Following the backlash, the Government of Maldives issued a token statement of condemnation. It read,
“The Government of Maldives is 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…Moreover, the relevant authorities of the Government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks.”
Government of Maldives issues statement – "The Government of Maldives is 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… pic.twitter.com/RQfKDb2wYF
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2024
On 4th January, PM Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep as he exhorted people to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan, and an effort to give a boost to tourism in the island.
Following PM Modi’s tweet posting stunning vistas from the Lakshadweep Islands, several social media users in India called for Indians to visit the place over foreign destinations, including the Maldives, which shares similar geographical characteristics as the Lakshadweep Islands.
That touched off bitter reactions from Maldivian counterparts, including governmental functionaries and prominent citizens, many of whom resorted to making churlish remarks against India, Indians, and the Indian PM.
Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep Islands.
“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted. The post was deleted after backlash on X, formerly known as Twitter, where Indian social media users slammed the Maldives government officials, including Shiuna, for their crass remarks against the Indian Prime Minister.
It is worth noting that PM Modi did not mention the Maldives anywhere in his tweets.
