The Maldivian Government clarified to India that the derogatory comments made by three deputy ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not represent the official stance of the Maldivian Government. The Indian High Commissioner, Munu Muhawar, had a scheduled meeting with Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, the Ambassador-at-Large at the Foreign Ministry of Maldives.
The Indian High Commission posted, “High Commissioner Munu Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with H.E. Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at MoFA, Maldives, today to discuss bilateral issues.”
During the meeting, Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed affirmed that the remarks made by the suspended ministers do not reflect the views of the Maldivian Government and reiterated the Maldives’ continuous support for India.
The diplomatic discussion followed India’s summoning of the Maldivian envoy, Ibrahim Shaheeb, to the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi. India expressed strong concern over the derogatory remarks posted on social media by three Maldivian deputy ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The controversial comments were made by Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, who were serving as deputy ministers at the Youth Ministry. They had posted disparaging remarks on social media platform X in response to a tourism video promoting Lakshadweep, shared by Prime Minister Modi. The ministers were suspended on January 7, a day after their remarks caused an uproar on Indian social media.
The incident has not only drawn criticism in India, with celebrities urging people to explore domestic tourist destinations instead of the Maldives but has also led to reports of some Indians canceling their planned trips to the Maldives amid the diplomatic tension.
