New Delhi: Maldives on Sunday suspended two ministers for posting derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, a government spokesperson said.
Maldives’ decision to suspend Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment Mariyam Shiuna and Deputy Minister of Transport & Civil Hassan Zihan comes after India raised the matter with the island nation on Sunday.
Shiuna, had called Modi a “clown” and “puppet” in now-deleted posts on social media platform X after the Indian PM posted beautiful pictures of his visit to Lakshadweep and pitched the island as a tourist destination.
Strong backlash on X, including #BoycottMaldives posts, after the minister’s posts forced them to take down the tweets.
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Maldives MP Zahid Rameez also mocked Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep after his photographs attracted huge attention, with many comparing it to the Maldives.
Rejecting the derogatory remarks against the Indian PM, Maldives government stated that the comments don’t represent the views of Maldivian government.
Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed condemned Shiuna’s remarks against Modi, and described it as “appalling language”.