NEW DELHI (Dispatches) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promotion of tourism on an Indian island chain has sparked a row with the Maldives after senior officials from that country accused Modi of being a “puppet of Israel”.
The tussle started when Modi posted a seemingly innocuous image of himself reclining on a lounge chair at a white sand beach in Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 Indian islands. Other pictures showed the 73-year-old leader snorkeling and wearing an orange life vest.
“Those early morning walks along the pristine beaches were also moments of pure bliss,” Modi wrote on the social media platform, X.
Maryam Shiuna, a deputy minister in the Maldives’ government, labeled Modi “a clown” and “puppet of Israel” on X. Another official slammed Modi as a “terrorist”.
The island archipelago nation south of the subcontinent has carved out a niche for itself catering to well-heeled, jet-setting tourists. It was allegedly a favorite spot for Mohammed Bin Salman to host raucous beach parties before he became the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, one of India’s largest travel sites suspended flight bookings to the Maldives. Indian celebrities have started social media campaigns to promote ditching the Maldives in favor of Indian beach spots like Lakshadweep.
After the uproar, the Maldivian government said it had suspended three deputy ministers who made the critical remarks. Their social media posts were deleted and disavowed by the government.
But Modi is close to Israel, and on Monday an account on X linked to the Israeli embassy in India appeared to turn the criticism against Modi into a sign of endorsement.
“We were in #Lakshadweep last year upon the federal government’s request to initiate the desalination program,” the social media post said.
“Israel is ready to commence working on this project tomorrow.”