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.
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
“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.
