Mariyam Shiuna’s comments on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have caused widespread uproar on social media. As a result, the Maldives government, which is run by Mohamed Muizzu, has decided to suspend her from her post as Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts. This decision was taken on Sunday, January 7th.
The administration has also decided to suspend Ministers Mahzoom Majid and Malsha Shareef, according to a report in the Atoll Times. The Indian government raised several significant issues with the Maldivian administration earlier in the day in response to Mariyam Shiuna’s remarks.
In response to the criticism, the government of the Maldives released a statement of condemnation that was brief and insignificant. According to what was said, “The Government of the Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks that have been made on social media platforms against high-ranking individuals and foreign leaders alike.” The views expressed here are those of the author, and they do not reflect the viewpoints of the Maldives government. Furthermore, the competent authorities of the government will not miss an opportunity to take action against those individuals who make such insulting remarks.
The Conflict:
In what may be interpreted as a push for his “vocal for local” motto and an effort to give a boost to tourism on the island, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted some images from his recent trip to Lakshadweep on January 4th. He also encouraged people to explore the beautiful island.
Several social media users in India have advocated for Indians to visit the Lakshadweep Islands rather than other overseas places, such as the Maldives, which has geographical qualities that are comparable to those of the Lakshadweep Islands. A tweet from Prime Minister Modi that featured breathtaking views of the Lakshadweep Islands served as the impetus for this movement.
This elicited a range of acrimonious responses from Maldivian counterparts, including government officials and notable civilians. A significant number of these individuals resorted to making snide remarks directed at India, Indians, and the Prime Minister of India.
Recently, Mariyam Shiuna, who is the Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts, made some harsh remarks against Prime Minister Modi. She called him a “clown” and a “puppet of Israel” after he shared images from his trip to the Lakshadweep Islands.
Shiuna’s tweet said, “What a clown. The puppet of Israel, Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket, #VisitMaldives” After receiving criticism on X, which was formerly known as Twitter, Indian social media users criticised the Maldives government officials, including Shiuna, for their crude words about the Indian Prime Minister. As a result, the post was removed from the platform. There is no mention of the Maldives whatsoever in Prime Minister Modi’s tweets, which is something that should be noted.
