India, Maldives summon High Commissioners as diplomatic ties remain strained between 2 nations

New Delhi, Jan 8: On Monday, the External Affairs Ministry summoned the Maldivian ambassador to South Block, New Delhi, following inflammatory remarks made by three Maldivian deputy ministers against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.

The summoned High Commissioner Amb Ibrahim Shaheeb attended the meeting at around 9 am, with both New Delhi and the Maldivian government yet to issue official statements regarding the encounter.

Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid—Maldives deputy ministers at the Youth Ministry—triggered the diplomatic incident by posting derogatory remarks on social media platform X in response to a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep. The video depicted Prime Minister Modi enjoying a visit to the Union territory in the Arabian Sea. The incident swiftly escalated into a Twitter war between netizens of India and the Maldives, with opinions divided on Modi's visit being perceived as an attempt to divert tourists away from the Maldives.

The fallout from the controversy led to the suspension of the three newly appointed Maldivian ministers on Sunday. Social media erupted with protests from prominent politicians and former ministers in the Maldives, calling for an official apology and a clear distancing from the offensive remarks.

In India, the repercussions extended to the entertainment industry, with several Bollywood actors, frequent visitors to the Maldives for personal and professional reasons, condemning the Maldivian ministers' comments against the Indian Prime Minister. Many vowed not to visit the Maldives in response to the offensive social media posts.

While the Maldivian Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasising that the opinions expressed were personal and did not represent the government's views, India's top diplomat in Male, High Commissioner Munu Mahawar, was summoned by the Maldives' Foreign Ministry. In a tweet from the Indian embassy in Male, it was mentioned that Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, the Ambassador-at-Large at the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, to discuss bilateral issues.

During the meeting, Dr Naseer clarified that the derogatory remarks made by the deputy ministers did not reflect the official stance of the Maldivian government. The Maldives reaffirmed its continued support for its neighbour, aiming to mend the diplomatic ties strained by the social media controversy.

The diplomatic fallout underscores the challenges of maintaining robust bilateral ties in an age where social media can amplify disagreements and provoke international incidents.

EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings

EaseMyTrip, an Indian online travel agency, declared the suspension of all flight bookings to the Maldives in response to a controversy surrounding derogatory social media posts targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Lakshadweep.

The announcement was made by EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti in an early Monday post on X, citing the decision as an act of "solidarity with our nation." Pitti further emphasized this stance in a tweet, stating, "In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.’’