Maldives Minister's Social Media Post Over PM Modi's Lakshadweep Visit Stirs Row; Indians Cancel Trips In Mass

Following PM Narendra Modi's recent visit to Lakshadweep, a social media post by a Maldives Minister has sparked a controversy. PM Narendra Modi went to Lakshadweep last week and shared his thrilling experience of the islands in the Arabian Sea.

Maldives minister Abdulla Mahzoom Majid claims India is trying to shift the focus from Maldives by promoting Lakshadweep as another interesting tourist spot. He thought that India is boosting the tourism to Indian Islands only.

Maldives Minister went on to remark that India is facing challenges in competing with Maldives and that their beach is far more attractive than Lakshadweep. This row comes after President Mohammad Muizzu's ascent to power in Government power in November last year.

Mohammad Muizzu is a coalition of the PPM (Progressive Party of Maldives) and the PNC (People's National Congress), which is considered pro-China and anti-India. Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had wonderful relations with New Delhi and bilateral relations and business progressed in a good manner under Ibrahim Solih's rule.

Government will not hesitate to take action: Maldives on Controversial Posts

The Government has distanced itself from derogatory remarks made by its leaders and ministers of the ruling party in Maldives against PM Modi.

An official statement made by the Maldives Government on Sunday, "The opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives."

Maldives's Government declares that they believe Freedom of Expression should be "exercised democratically and responsibly" and said that relevant authorities of the Maldives government won't hesitate to take action against the person who made such derogatory remarks.

Maldives Suspends 3 Ministers

The Government of Maldives has suspended 3 ministers for their derogatory remarks on Indian PM Narendra Modi amid the Maldives and Lakshadweep row.

The name of suspended ministers are Hassan Zihan - Deputy Minister of, the Ministry of Transport and Civil, Mariyam Shiuna - Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, and Malsha, Deputy Minister - of the Ministry of Youth and Empowerment, as per Maldives Media.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lakshadweep Visit

PM Modi visited Lakshadweep in the first week of January to inaugurate the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands submarine Optical Fiber Connection and lay the foundation stone for the renovation of five model Anganwadi centers and primary healthcare facilities.

After his visit, PM Narendra Modi said the Indian Government's focus in Lakshadweep was to uplift lives through enhanced development. "Lakshadweep is a timeless legacy of traditions; It is not just a group of Islands and a testament to the spirits of its people. My visits have been an enriching journey of learning and growing," PM Modi said.

Many Indians have canceled their Maldives trip after Maldives Minister's derogatory remarks on PM Narendra Modi's pictures of Lakshadweep's beaches on Social Media. After these remarks, Many Indians started the "Boycott Maldives" cry on social media some ministers of the island country shamed Lakshadweep after many tourists saw it as an alternative to Maldives.

Dr. Falak Joshipura, the sports physiotherapist, was planning a Maldives trip for her birthday on February 2. Dr. Falak said that she had almost confirmed the Amaya Kuda Rah resort for the celebrations, but now she has canceled the trip. This was decided after she had seen the tweets of the Maldives Minister's tweet. 

She is not alone. Akshit Singh shared his cancellation details on X where he booked a hotel for a stay at Madifushu Private Island from March 31 to April 2. He also stated that he will go to Lakshadweep instead. 

A filmmaker Rushik Rawal, had a three-week booking worth Rs 5 Lakh from Feb 1, 2024, at Palms Retreat, Fulhadhoo, Maldives. He also canceled his booking in the Maldivian luxury property and stated the Maldives Minister's tweeet. He also boycotted Maldives.

Deeptanshu Shukla is a men's rights activist who was also planning to go to Maldives like other Indians. He is regular to Maldives and canceled his bookings at a Luxury resort in Maldives and he shared the evidence on Social Media. He said to the Maldives Government that Indians are not low spenders while saying he has had enough.

An NRI and IITian Amit who lived in Zurich also cancelled his Maldives trip. He booked Royal Island Resort at Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve. He said, "We were coming from the UK to India for family reasons and were planning to go to Maldives from there. Not anymore."
There are many Indians who canceled their Maldives trip and hotel bookings in the last 24 to 48 hours. One such Indian ('Dash Can Indians, who has canceled his trip to Maldives, took to X to say, "It makes no sense to spend heavy money for an excursion to a country where they hate our country India."

In 2021 and 2022, India was Maldives's top market with over 2.91 lakh and 2.41 lakh Indian tourist arrivals. These figures are high while considering that Covid-19 was at its peak in 2021. Last year, India with 100,915 tourist arrivals till June 2023 remained a sought-after market for Maldives.

But now with "Boycott Maldives" trend will have a bad impact on Maldives's economy. Maldives is facing a big challenge from Indian tourists.