PM Modi's Lakshadweep Visit Rubs Maldives Wrong Way As Island Nation's Minister Makes Insulting Remarks

A Maldives minister passed insulting remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before deleting the post. It comes days after he visited Lakshadweep.

Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, referred the PM a "clown" and a "puppet of Israel". "What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives," Shiuna tweeted in a now-deleted post.

In another post, Shiuna said that the Maldives does not need the Indian Military's presence in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for various projects worth Rs 1,150 crore in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on Wednesday.

PM Modi was in Lakshadweep on January 2 and 3 to inaugurate the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection and lay foundation stone for the renovation of the primary healthcare facility and five model Anganwadi centres.

However, what caught the attention of the netizens was the PM snorkelling to explore the undersea life during his recent visit.

PM Modi posted pictures of his undersea exploration on X and shared his "exhilarating experience" of the sojourn in the islands located in the Arabian Sea.

"For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list. During my stay, I also tried snorkelling - what an exhilarating experience it was," he wrote.

PM Modi also shared pictures of his early morning walks on the pristine beaches of Lakshadweep and some moments of leisure, sitting on a chair by the beach.

"In addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep's tranquillity is also mesmerising. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to work even harder for the welfare of 140 crore Indians," he said.

Although the PM did not make any reference to the Maldives, his visit indicated that he was pushing the island Union Territory as an alternate tourist destination to the Maldives.

Also, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), made racist comments against Indians came in response. In a post, Rameez wrote, "The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall."

The development comes at a time when India and the Maldives's relationship has strained after pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won the elections. As part of his election promise, he committed to withdrawing a modest group of approximately 75 Indian military personnel from his island nation and altering the Maldives's policy of prioritizing India.

According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Muizzu is set to travel to China on Monday, following an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping as confirmed by Hua Chunying, the spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, on Friday. Muizzu, recognized as a pro-China politician, assumed the role of the eighth President of the Maldives after winning the presidential run-off in September, defeating his India-friendly predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.