New Delhi: Many Indians have expressed anger after some leaders in the Maldives used derogatory language about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Lakshadweep, India’s smallest Union territory. From celebrities to sportspeople to influencers, many in India are leading the #BoycottMaldives movement, encouraging a switch in their travel destination from the Maldives to Lakshadweep, the archipelago of 36 islets spread across 32 sq km.
However, some social media posts have been flagged for uploading and sharing incorrect images, such as displaying pictures of white, sandy beaches in the Maldives as if they were from Lakshadweep. The rush to follow the #BoycottMaldives trend has led to the dissemination of inaccurate images without verification.
Actor Ranveer Singh was among those who inadvertently shared a Maldives image as if it were from Lakshadweep. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also posted two images of tourists on an island, using hashtags that encouraged people to explore India before considering traveling abroad. However, some users on Twitter pointed out that one of the two images posted by Mr. Rijiju was taken in the Maldives, not Lakshadweep.
In the Maldives, a post by a local politician, Maaiz Mahmood, claiming to be from his island nation, was, in fact, an image of the Bora Bora islets in French Polynesia. He wrote on Twitter, “Sunset in the Maldives. You will not see this in Lakshadweep,” using the hashtag #VisitMaldives. He also tagged PM Modi’s Twitter account in his post, but he later deleted the tweet.
The Maldives government has suspended three ministers – Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid – over these posts. Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically-elected President of the Maldives, strongly condemned the “shocking” social media posts by ministers in the archipelago’s government on PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep. Condemning these statements, Mr. Nasheed urged Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu to clarify that the comments by the ministers “do not reflect government policy.”
