On Tuesday two Maldivian ministers resigned, months after they were suspended for allegedly using derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the media reports. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu had suspended the three ministers in January for their remarks. One of them had called PM Modi a ‘clown’.
As per the media reports, ‘the resignations came ahead of a potential visit by Muizzu to New Delhi’. Last month, India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had visited the archipelago country for the first time since Male expelled Indian troops in May. The now ex-ministers had criticised Modi on social media, sparking angry protests from Indian celebrities who called for a tourism boycott, the mainstay of the nation’s economy.
There was no immediate word on a third minister, who was also suspended in January. In January 2024, the India-Maldives diplomatic ties hit a roadblock when several Maldivian leaders lashed out at PM Modi for promoting Lakshadweep as a tourist destination. The move was seen by Maldivian leaders and MPs as a way to lure Indian tourists away from Maldives, and encouraging them to visit Lakshadweep instead. Maldives became a geopolitical hotspot, with New Delhi suspicious of Beijing’s influence in Male. India’s government has traditionally considered the Maldives, home to around half a million people, within its sphere of influence.
Global east-west shipping lanes pass the nation’s chain of 1,192 tiny coral islands, stretching around 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu will travel to India on an official visit very soon, said his spokesperson. Heena Waleed, the chief spokesperson at the President’s Office, announced Muizzu’s visit on a day when two junior ministers, suspended in January for derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi – resigned from the government.
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