Request filed to summon FM Zameer and deputy ministers to parliament over derogatory remarks

A request has been filed to summon Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and the deputy ministers who made derogatory remarks against India and the nation’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the parliament.

MDP lawmaker Meekail Naseem in a post on X on Monday said he has filed a request to summon Foreign Minister Zameer to the parliament for questioning over the matter.

He is seeking to inquire why the Maldivian government has not extended a formal apology to India and also why the deputy ministers who made the remarks have not been dismissed from their posts.

Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid – three deputy ministers at the Youth Ministry – had made the derogatory remarks against India and Modi on social media platform X, in response to a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep.

The video showed Modi enjoying a visit to the Indian Union territory in the Arabian Sea.

All three deputy ministers have since been suspended.

MP Meekail, in his request to summon the three deputy ministers and also all relevant government officials, stressed that the remarks of the three deputy ministers had created tension between India and Maldives, which has adversely impacted the relations between the two neighbors to an extent never witnessed before.

“As a result of this, a large number of Indian tour operators and travel agents have been canceling the bookings made to the Maldives by various Indian nationals in the past 48 hours alone,” he noted.

MP Meekail expressed concern over the chances of this causing irrevocable losses to the Maldivian economy and Maldivians, who are significantly reliant on India for medical needs and other basic necessities, facing major difficulties. He also expressed concern over the possibility of the row leading to the longstanding ties between the two nations being severed.

He added that he does not believe the Maldivian government has adequate action over the matter.

The Maldivian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday saying the opinions were personal, and do not represent the views of the Maldivian government.

Prominent Indians, including Bollywood star Akshay Kumar expressed dismay at the comments.

India is one of the top source markets for tourist arrivals to the Maldives.

209,198 Indian tourists visited the country last year – marking the highest number of arrivals by a single market.