The government of the Maldives has suspended three deputy ministers after they made derogatory remarks about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid who all worked for the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts were disciplined for their comments against Modi on social media, a senior government official told Reuters on Sunday.
The three had variously described Modi as a “clown”, “terrorist” and “puppet of Israel” on social media platform X, in response to a video of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, an Indian Union territory in the Arabian Sea.
In the Maldives, some viewed Modi’s visit as trying to draw tourists away from the globally popular Maldives, whose 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean are dotted with luxury resorts.
According to Indian media reports, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives raised the issue with the Maldives’ government.
Some Indian celebrities including Bollywood actors and sports stars expressed their discontent over the Maldives officials’ remarks.
“Came across comments from prominent public figures from Maldives passing hateful and racist comments on Indians. Surprised that they are doing this to a country that sends them the maximum number of tourists,” Akshay Kumar, a popular Indian actor said on X.
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