India-Maldives islands row leads to calls for suspension of business ties
Indian traders have called for a suspension of business ties with the Maldives in a row over tourist islands.
The Confederation of All India Traders protested in Delhi yesterday after three Maldivian ministers were suspended by their government for comments made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It follows Mr Modi’s official trip and promotion of the Lakshadweep islands, which was seen as a challenge to the new government in Maldives capital Male.
Several Indian actors, including Amitabha Bachchan, and some top cricketers have since praised the beauty of Lakshadweep in social media posts.
The Indian government has not commented on the remarks of the Maldivian politicians or responded to calls to suspend business ties. Mr Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep was seen as a move to promote it as a more attractive alternative to the Maldives, an island nation whose economy hinges on tourism. Supporters of Mr Modi have called for a boycott of the Maldives, prompting an angry reaction.
Mariyam Shiuna, the Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, allegedly called Mr Modi “a clown” and a “diver in a life jacket” in posts on X that have since been deleted.
The controversy appears to have benefitted Lakshadweep. An official Indian government social media account shared a post yesterday highlighting that Mr Modi’s visit had led to “a significant surge in online searches about the islands”.
“This worldwide search interest is currently at its highest in the last 20 years, indicating a renewed fascination with its natural beauty and cultural richness,” read a message on the MyGovIndia X account.
Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian Sea, about 400km off the south-western coast of Kerala.
Only 10 of the islands, known for their sandy beaches, are inhabited. The islands are a union territory of India and are ruled directly by India’s Modi-run central government. More than 200,000 Indians visited the Maldives last year, the Maldivian government said.