Maldives: Few days ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Lakshadweep islands. During his visit, Modi shared some photos with his associates on social media. India had been promoting Lakshadweep as an international tourist destination for several months. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi took initiative for this, the attention of many turned towards Lakshadweep.
The hashtag #BoycottMaldives trended on social media for a few days, sparking discussions among ordinary citizens, politicians, athletes, and actors. Following derogatory remarks by Maldivian ministers towards India, discussions began about boycotting Maldives in India.
As a result, the number of Indian tourists visiting Maldives has decreased, affecting Maldives’ tourism sector adversely. The former Maldivian minister expressed, “Due to our mistakes, our country is suffering in India…”
Former Maldivian Environment Minister Maria Didi said, “The discussions happening in Indian social media about Maldives and its people, it’s not our country, even our citizens are not like that.” After these debates, India has taken special notice of Maldives, leading to a deterioration in relations. Consequently, leaders in Maldives have started praising India to improve relations.
Maria Didi, speaking at the Firstpost Defense Summit, said, “Currently, Maldives is becoming famous in India due to many mistakes.” Primarily, Maldives’ image is tarnished in Indian media, affecting perceptions of Maldives among Indian society. Therefore, for us, Maldives is not the same.
” इतर देशांमधून आमच्या देशात आलेल्या लोकांचं आम्ही स्वागत करतो. परदेशी पर्यटक आमच्या देशात आलेलं आम्हाला आवडतं. आम्ही नेहमीच त्यांच्या स्वागतासाठी तत्पर असतो. मला असं वाटतं की, मालदीवबाबत भारतीय लोकांची धारणा बदलली पाहिजे. “
