Male

Advertisment

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has taken a swipe at India, amid the ongoing diplomatic row after returning from his five-day trip to China. 

“We may be small, but that doesn’t give you the license to bully us," said Muizzu on Saturday (Jan 13). 

He also noted that the Indian Ocean "does not belong" to one particular country and that Maldives "is not in anyone's backyard". 

Advertisment

“Though we have small islands in this ocean, we have a vast exclusive economic zone of 900,000 square kilometres. Maldives is one of the countries with the biggest share of this ocean. This ocean does not belong to a specific country,” he added. 

Muizzu, widely regarded by many as an anti-India voice has further ignited the controversy, instead of attempting to defuse the situation. His statements alluding to India may not go down well with New Delhi which has made its indifference clear to Male. 

The Maldivian president taking a dig at India should not come as a surprise. A recent report by the European Union stated that the current ruling coalition of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC) used anti-India sentiments to win the elections held last December. 

Advertisment

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU- EOM) report on the Maldives presidential elections suggested that Muizzu's government was anti-India in its approach.

"EU EOM observers noted instances of derogatory language, directed towards the president [former leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih], on the side of PPM-PNC. Their campaign included anti-Indian sentiments, based on fears of Indian influences and anxiety regarding a presence of Indian military personnel inside the country," read the report.

"This theme was subject to multiple online disinformation attempts," it added. 

Watch | Gravitas: Can India's political heat burn Maldives' govt? | Tourism body sends apology letter

Muizzu's anti-India, pro-China stance

The latest diplomatic row between India and Maldives is another example of the deep-seated anti-India sentiment that the ruling alliance harbours.

After Indian PM Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep, some social media users projected the Indian archipelago as an alternative tourism destination for Indians in place of Maldives.

Also read | Maldives: Major setback for President Muizzu as oppn leader wins Male mayoral elections

No mention or references to Maldives or any other island nation which is popular among tourists was made in PM Modi's posts regarding his visit to Lakshadweep.

But still, the archipelago's beautiful scenery appeared to offend the Maldivian politicians. 

(With inputs from agencies)