Amid the furor over a few Maldives ministers’ alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his visit to Lakshadweep, administrator of the Union territory on Monday asserted that India wouldn’t tolerate such insults.
"India will never tolerate such an insult (and) the entire country showed solidarity with the Prime Minister," Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel told NDTV.
Patel, however, dismissed talks of demanding a public apology from the Maldives government, saying the ministers have been already punished for their remarks.
“They have been punished by the government for their actions. This showed India will not tolerate any insult to its PM. From Bollywood celebrities to cricketers as well as ordinary people... India has given a befitting reply to the Maldives,” he told the TV channel.
Lakshadweep Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Faizal also criticised Maldives ministers' statements against Modi and urged them to "think twice" before commenting on India's internal matters.
"The Hon'ble Prime Minister's remarks pertained to Lakshadweep tourism, which is entirely an internal matter of India. The comments made by Maldivian deputy ministers on this matter are unwanted and uninvited," Faizal told PTI.
The Maldivian government on Sunday suspended three deputy ministers for derogatory social media posts against Modi following a backlash with New Delhi strongly raising the matter with Male and the island nation's top opposition leaders slamming the ruling establishment over the row.
The deputy ministers in the youth ministry, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, have been suspended over their posts. The row erupted on a day President Dr Mohamed Muizzu embarked on a week-long visit to China.
The disparaging remarks by the ministers have drawn flak in India, with many celebrities urging people on X to explore domestic tourist destinations instead of going to the Maldives.
