E-Paper
Maldives leader calls for president Muizzu's ouster amid tensions with India
Empahsising on the stability of country's foreign policy, Azim urged a vote of no confidence motion against Muizzu.
Maldives' Parliamentary Minority leader Ali Azim on Monday called for the removal of archipelago nation's president Mohamed Muizzu amid the row over Maldives minister's derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Read here: Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed reacts to remarks against PM Modi: ‘Appalling’
Empahsising on the stability of country's foreign policy, Azim urged a vote of no confidence motion against Muizzu.
"We, d Democrats, r dedicated to upholding d stability of the nation's foreign policy n preventing d isolation of any neighboring country. R u willing to take all necessary steps to remove prez @MMuizzu from power? Is @MDPSecretariat prepared to initiate a vote of no confidence?" he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
This comes after a row erupted after some Maldivian leaders made derogatory comments against PM Modi and mocked his recent visit to Lakshadweep. India strongly raised the matter with Male and the island nation's top opposition leaders slammed the ruling establishment over the row.
In a now-deleted post, the Maldivian deputy minister of Youth Empowerment, Mariyam Shiuna, made a mocking and disrespectful reference to PM Modi.
Read here: Maldives suspends 3 deputy ministers over remarks against India and its leadership
The remarks triggered a furious response in India, with the Maldives government rejecting the derogatory remarks, stating that they did not represent the views of Male.
On Sunday, the Maldivian government also suspended three deputy ministers for derogatory social media posts against PM Modi. “All government officials responsible for the comments have been suspended from their post effective immediately,” said Ibrahim Khaleel, spokesperson for the president of Maldives.
Several Indian celebrities including actors Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Salman Khan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Aakash Chopra joined an online campaign calling for a boycott of the Maldives and its tourist spots after the row.
Additionally, online travel company EaseMyTrip announced to suspend all Maldives flight bookings amid the boycott Maldives campaign saying that ‘country comes before business’.
On January 2, PM Modi visited the union territory and shared several pictures, including an 'exhilarating experience' of him trying his hand at snorkelling. In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches, the pristine blue skies and the ocean and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”
