Two Maldivian ministers have resigned after making derogatory comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media and referring to him as a ‘clown’.
On Tuesday, they submitted their resignations to the office of the President of Maldives, Mohammad Muijzu.
The two ministers named Mariam Sheuna and Malsha Sharif said in their resignation letters that they have taken this decision for personal reasons.
An official of the Maldivian government, who did not want to be named, confirmed this information to Indian media outlet Weeon.
In December 2023, the Prime Minister of India visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. After returning from the trip, Narendra Modi shared some pictures of the island full of natural beauty on the Indian Ocean on social media.
After sharing those pictures of her, there was an uproar in the social media of Maldives. In addition to the common netizens of the country, several government officials and cabinet members of the Maldives also got involved.
They complain that Indian tourists should choose Lakshadweep as their tourist destination instead of Maldives – that is the message Modi has given through the posted picture.
Indian netizens also responded to their allegations. They called for a boycott of Maldives as a tourist destination. X, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and various social media including ‘Boycott Maldives’ hashtag became popular. Which has a negative impact on the Maldivian economy.
So far, half of the tourists from the countries of the world who went to Maldives were Indians. But after calling for a boycott of Maldives, the number of Indian tourists to the country dropped dramatically from this year. As a result, the country’s economy, which only depends on the tourism sector, is hurt.
Three members of President Muijju’s cabinet were accused of making derogatory comments against Modi and calling him a ‘clown’ on social media.
They are – Maryam Sheuna, Malsa Sharif and Mahjum Majid. These three people were suspended last January on the charge of insulting speech towards the Prime Minister of India.
Among them, Maryam and Malsa resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday. However, Mahjum Majeed has not yet submitted his resignation letter.
Source: Wion, AFP
