On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians. The PPM member’s highly racist remark against Indians came in response to a post by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep. Outraged by the contemptuous remark made by the politician from the Maldives, Netizens resolved not to go to the Maldives for vacations in the future.
On January 4, PM Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep as he exhorted people to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan, and an effort to give a boost to tourism in the island.
Mr Sinha shared a picture of PM Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep. In the picture, the Indian Prime Minister was seen taking a walk on the pristine beach of the scenic island. Mr Sinha wrote, “What a great move! It’s a big setback to the new Chinese puppet gvt of Maldives. Also, it will boost tourism in #Lakshadweep.”
In response to Mr Sinha’s post, Zahid Rameez wrote on January 5, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
Several X users expressed their outrage at the racist statement made by the PPM member which implied that Indians were unhygienic and dirty. They vowed to boycott the Maldives and promote Lakshadweep as the preferred holiday destination.
“Indians should boycott Maldives and visit Lakshadweep instead @narendramodi Thanks Modi Ji for making a special visit to generate interest for this beautiful union territory of ours @presidencymv,” wrote a user going by the handle @Abhind8.
Indians should boycott Maldives and visit Lakshadweep instead @narendramodi Thanks Modi Ji for making a special visit to generate interest for this beautiful union territory of ours @presidencymv
— Abhind (@Abhind8) January 5, 2024
“Now check the data of tourists footfall after a year, you will see a surge which might surpass Maldives too & going by the recent developments from Maldives,this might well be a message to them of realising what tourists from Bharat means to its economy but i guess its too late!!” wrote another X user.
Now check the data of tourists footfall after a year, you will see a surge which might surpass Maldives too & going by the recent developments from Maldives,this might well be a message to them of realising what tourists from Bharat means to its economy but i guess its too late!!
— Titan Sengupta (@SenguptaTitan) January 4, 2024
Brilliant move by Modiji. It's a clear signal Indian tourist should be considering our Island Lakshadweep and Anadaman islands rather than promoting hostile countries like Maldives. You see the result in coming days from travel and revenue point of view.Masterstroke. Jai Hind 🇮🇳
— praveen bangera (@praveen_bangera) January 5, 2024
Another X user going by the handle @HinduHate also condemned the racist remark passed by Rameez. He stated, “Here is Maldives govt official says “permanent smell in the rooms” after PM Modi’s Lakshadweep trip triggered a meltdown and a possible reduction in number of Indian tourists visiting Maldives. Indians, stop spending money on those who don’t deserve it. Make them bend!”
Here is Maldives govt official says "permanent smell in the rooms" after PM Modi's Lakshadweep trip triggered a meltdown and a possible reduction in number of Indian tourists visiting Maldives. Indians, stop spending money on those who don't deserve it. Make them bend! pic.twitter.com/SdLZgEAkeq
— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) January 5, 2024
In response to @HinduHate’s post, another user highlighted how Zahid Rameez, who went on to insult Indians had recently sought Indian citizenship. Sharing a screenshot of Rameez’s June 28, 2023 post, X user Sandeep Neel wrote, “He’s seeking Indian citizenship. It’s crucial that @MEAIndia and @HMOIndia ensure individuals like @xahidcreator, known for spreading hate, are barred from obtaining it.”
He's seeking Indian citizenship. It's crucial that @MEAIndia and @HMOIndia ensure individuals like @xahidcreator, known for spreading hate, are barred from obtaining it. pic.twitter.com/A7yyyMooAe
— Sandeep Neel (@SanUvacha) January 6, 2024
As evidenced by Zahid Rameez’s post, on June 28, 2023, he had tagged the High Commission of India in Maldives and urged them to grant him citizenship of India.
After several social media users took offence to Zahid Rameez’s racist remark against Indians, the member of the ruling PPM, instead of apologising or retracting his statement, brazened it out. Using the opportunity to play his victim card as a ‘Muslim’, Rameez wrote, “I was born in India, and FYI, I’m not a lawmaker. I share my thoughts through tweets. It’s confusing why there’s a reaction, especially when there have been more hurtful comments about us, Muslims, and Palestine by your people. Anyway, I usually don’t comment, so this one time, deal with it, please.”
I was born in India, and FYI, I’m not a lawmaker. I share my thoughts through tweets. It’s confusing why there’s a reaction, especially when there have been more hurtful comments about us, Muslims, and Palestine by your people. Anyway, I usually don't comment, so this one time,… https://t.co/fu6TKZr7CL
— Zahid Rameez (@xahidcreator) January 6, 2024
Viral photographs of PM Modi in Lakshadweep cause huge jump in people searching for more information on the islands and snorkelling
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep on 2 and 3 January, as part of his South India visit which also included programs in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The PM reached Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, 2nd January, from there he flew to Agatti in Lakshadweep on the same day. He spent the night in union territory, attended several programs, before moving to Kerala for a road show on 3rd January.
On January 4, PM Modi shared several photographs on X, showing that apart from attending public programs, he also took part in some adventurous activities in the scenic islands. He tried snorkelling, and shared photographs on the same.
PM Modi also shared two underwater photographs of coral reefs and other marine life.
He also shared images of enjoying some time on the beach, saying, “In addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep’s tranquility is also mesmerising. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to work even harder for the welfare of 140 crore Indians.” PM Modi said he took early morning walks “along the pristine beaches” which proved to be “moments of pure bliss”.
In addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep's tranquility is also mesmerising. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to work even harder for the welfare of 140 crore Indians. pic.twitter.com/VeQi6gmjIM
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024
After PM Modi posted those images, the number of searches for the terms Lakshadweep and snorkelling skyrocketed. The Google searches for snorkelling has jumped by over 2000%, while the searches for Lakshadweep has increased by around 350%.
During his visit to Lakshadweep, the Prime Minister inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 1,150 crore.
New pro-China president of Maldives Dr Mohamed Muizzu asks India to withdraw its military from the country
Meanwhile, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) recently came to power in the country after its candidate Dr Mohamed Muizzu, became the newly elected president of the Maldives after defeating his predecessor Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Muizzu is viewed as being more pro-China than his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who had pushed for deeper ties with India.
In fact, in November last year, Dr Mohamed Muizzu asked India to withdraw its military forces from the country. A notification issued by the president’s office stated that this request was formally made to Indian Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who visited the country to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new president.
Responding to the development, Indian officials said that both countries will try to find a ”workable solution”.
The development comes after the president had declared that he would expunge foreign military forces from the nation and reiterated his support for the withdrawal of a tiny Indian force from the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is a region where China and India compete for influence. The 45-year-old leader is the ninth president of the strategically placed island nation in the Indian Ocean.
