Indians are rallying for a boycott of visits to the Maldives following the exchange of controversial posts between the two nations.
Chronology:
On September 30th, Mohammad Muizzu clinched victory in the presidential election, defeating Ibrahim Mohammad Solih. Muizzu is notably recognized for his anti-Modi stance.
On January 5th, controversy stirred as PM Modi launched a tourism campaign in India's tropical island territory of Lakshadweep with Maldives government officials stating that India could not compete with their nation's celebrated tourist destinations.
After these posts, the newly elected president suspended three employees from the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts in response to their sharing of now-deleted controversial content on platform X against Narendra Modi.
After the incident, Indian celebrities and sports personalities made calls on social media to boycott trips to the Maldives, urging Indians not to visit the Maldives but, instead, to promote Indian islands.
There has been a staggering 3,400 percent surge in on-platform searches since the prime minister's visit to Lakshadweep, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Maldives is an archipelagic independent country situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies in the southwest of Sri Lanka and India with 750km from the Asian continent. The economic backbone of the Maldives relies heavily on tourism.