COLOMBO, Sept 11 (Askume) – Two junior ministers of the Maldives government suspended this year for insulting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have resigned ahead of President Mohamed Muizzo’s planned visit to New Delhi, an official said on Wednesday.
Malsha Shariff and Maryam Shuna of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts were inducted along with fellow minister Abdullah Mahzoom Majeed in January to promote the social media platform
He called Modi a “clown”, “terrorist” and “Israeli puppet” after he promoted tourism to the Indian island of Lakshadweep , which was seen as an endorsement of the pro-China Muizul, who had criticised the Maldives’ “commitment to ending” its ‘India First’ policy.
The comments angered New Delhi, and some Indian celebrities launched a social media campaign to promote local tourism, encouraging Indians to visit the globally popular Maldives, a group of 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean filled with luxury resorts.
Muizzau’s office did not respond to calls seeking comment. A government official confirmed the resignations of Sharif and Shauna, but declined to give any further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Local media on Tuesday quoted a presidential spokesman as saying that Muizzu will make an official visit to India “soon”.
This will be the Maldives president’s first visit to New Delhi after winning elections last year, with India and China competing for influence in the region.
Muizu made a state visit to Beijing soon after being elected and attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi after the Indian elections in June.
Maldives’ relations with India soured after Muizzo came to power in April , demanding that India replace 80 defence personnel posted in the Maldives with civilians as part of his “Exit India” movement.
India agreed and completed the replacement in May, and relations between the two countries have improved following diplomatic talks and meetings.
(The designation of Muizu in the headline of this story has been corrected)
