Modi’s Beach Shots Sparked Calls for an Indian Boycott of Maldives Tourism

 

Following the criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Lakshadweep Visit, by three of Maldives’ officials, one of the Maldives’ primary sources of tourism is being boycotted. Indian celebrities and residents have been urging people to avoid the sun-kissed retreat in favour of their own beaches. Modi uploaded pictures of himself snorkelling and strolling along a beach in Lakshadweep, a southern Indian island chain in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, on social media site X (CNN 2024).

This sparked a controversy. Though Modi did not mention the Maldives by particular in his post, it is possible that his enthusiastic admiration of the breathtaking scenery of the lesser-known islands was intended to draw tourists there rather than to the Maldives (CNN 2024).

PM Modi’s Lakshadweep Visit

This past weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweets on X, which promoted travel to the Lakshadweep islands, sparked a social media conflict between Maldivian lawmakers, government employees, and Indian users. In a post mentioning his visit to the Union Territory earlier this week, the Prime Minister spoke of “the stunning beauty of its islands” and stated that “Lakshadweep needs to be on your list for those who desire to embrace the adventurer in them” (The IndianExpress 2024b).

The India & Maldives controversy

A controversy was sparked by social media remarks made by a minister and other Maldivian politicians a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Lakshadweep islands. PM Modi’s visit to the 36-island nation’s smallest Union Territory was interpreted as an attempt to boost island tourism. The ministers denigrated Prime Minister Modi in their tweets, alleging that India was deliberately targeting the Maldives, and they said that India would have a difficult time competing with the Maldives for beach tourism (NDTV 2024).

The tweet was issued in response to suggestions made by Indian social media users that the island Union Territory be used as a tourist destination instead of the Maldives after PM Modi’s comments on snorkelling in the Lakshadweep went popular on X (formerly Twitter) (NDTV 2024).

Prominent Maldivian social media users quickly replied to PM Modi’s tweet with insulting, xenophobic, racist, and demeaning remarks directed at both the Indian prime leader and all Indians in general. Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts for the Maldives, Mariyam Shiuna was one of them, writing: “What a clown.” Mr. Narendra, the Israeli puppet, wearing a life jacket #VisitMaldives #SunnySideOfLife”. Additionally, Shiuna likened India to cow dung in a since-deleted article (CNBCTV18 2024).

Similar negative remarks against India and the Lakshadweep tourist campaign were made by Malsha Sharif, a colleague of Shiuna’s in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts in the Maldives (The IndianExpress 2024c).

Additionally, a member of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives tweeted a photo that they said showed an island resort in the Maldives and were thought to be of the French Polynesian islands, the Bora Bora islands. “Maldives sun set. This is not what Lakshadweep has to offer. #Go to the Maldives. CC: @narendramodi, Maaiz Mahmood wrote (The IndianExpress 2024b).

Subsequently, a few Maldivian news websites specialised in local news ran dramatic headlines in the local language, claiming that India had launched a campaign against Maldivian tourists. Other Maldivian social media users quickly caught on to this and joined the trend, making disparaging remarks and insults directed at India and Indians as well as drawing links between the Maldives and the Lakshadweep islands (The IndianExpress 2024b).

Maldives Minister’s Comment

The Maldivian government clarified in a statement a few hours later that the remarks spoken were the opinions of the individual speakers, not the governments. The Maldivian administration is aware of disrespectful comments made on social media sites against foreign officials and prominent figures. These are personal thoughts; the Maldivian government does not share them (HindustanTimes 2024).

The government thinks that exercising one’s right to free speech should be done so in a democratic and responsible way, without spreading hate or harming the Maldives’ strong ties with other countries. The administration of the island country declared, “Moreover, the competent authorities of the government would not hesitate to take action against individuals who make such insulting statements” (Deccan Chronicle 2024).

Result

Officials in the Maldives and followers of the governing coalition of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) started promoting a “#VisitMaldives” hashtag, which featured images of the nation’s beaches, resorts, and hotels, in response to the Indian government’s attempts to promote tourism in the Lakshadweep (Business Standard 2024). On social media, some Maldivians have even gone so far as to claim that Lakshadweep is not an Indian territory but rather a part of the Maldives.

Highlights

Modi’s Visit to Lakshadweep & India – Maldives Dispute

• Prime Minister Modi and the recently elected president of the Maldives met in December 2023 in Dubai for the COP28 climate talks. Both leaders agreed to establish a core group to discuss the complex ties and fortify friendships.
• Given the close proximity of the Maldives to India and the depth of bilateral connections between the two countries, Mr. Muizzu’s predecessors visited India first in the recent past. China, on the other hand, strengthened its influence in the island country by investing in significant infrastructure projects.
• Since President Mohamed Muizzu took office a few months ago, relations between India and the Maldives have become tight.
• The Maldives government has released official statistics showing that Indian visitors have continuously ranked in the top 10 nations visiting the island each year.
• With over 200,000 visitors, Indians made up the largest group of tourists to visit the Maldives in 2023 alone. Russian and Chinese tourists came in second and third.
• The Maldives is highly dependent on the tourist sector, which generates over 28% of the country’s GDP, according to a Michigan State University study.

Visit Genfosight at any time of the year for an educational journey through rich content, advancing your knowledge, and learning about the world from various perspectives while conquering all the obstacles that might be preventing you from moving forward. Follow us for more on our social media.

References

• Business Standard. Maldives’ ruling coalition deployed anti-India sentiments during 2023 polls.
• CNBCTV18. Maldives distances itself from minister Shiuna’s derogatory remarks against PM Modi, vows action.
• CNN. Why Modi’s beach shots sparked calls for an Indian boycott of Maldives tourism.
• Deccan Chronicle. Maldives Suspends Ministers for Derogatory Remarks Against PM Modi.
• HindustanTimes. HT’s full coverage of Maldives row: PM Modi’s tweet, ministers’ remarks and more.
• NDTV. After Maldives Minister’s Comment On PM Modi, Island Nation’s Response.
• The IndianExpress. From PM Modi’s Lakshadweep pitch to Maldives envoy meeting MEA officials today, here’s how the controversy unfolded.
• The IndianExpress. India-Maldives Relations: Why PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit has the Maldives’ social media and govt officials up in arms against India.
• The IndianExpress. Maldives may be small but it ‘doesn’t give them license to bully us’: President Muizzu amid diplomatic row with India.

Special Thanks

Content – Members of Genfosight.

Photographs – Members of Genfosight & the sources mentioned.

Also, visit our other posts on the Genfosight Homepage for your interest.

• Get off using https://hostinger.in?REFERRALCODE=GENFOSIGHT
• Get off using the link here for buying Premium Web Hosting at Hostingrer https://cart.hostinger.com/pay/de220648-48ab-4d33-9c23-477a6764af14
• Get off using the link here for buying Cloud Startup at Hostingrer https://cart.hostinger.com/pay/fecdf014-ea49-431b-913a-88f30fe1db42