Unravelling the shift in India-Maldives relations | Explained Premium

The Hindu explains how the relationship between India and its neighbour Maldives has deteriorated since the change of regime in the island nation. And how Male has increased its engagement with China under president Mohamed Muizzu.

The story so far: An online war of words set off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s posts pitching for tourism in the Lakshadweep islands has dramatically escalated into a diplomatic row between India and the Maldives, worsening the already strained relationship between the Indian Ocean neighbours.

What began as a social media controversy over disparaging remarks against the country and Mr. Modi, with one post calling the PM a “clown,” spilled into the real world last week, leading to the suspension of three Maldivian Ministers at the centre of the row amid severe public backlash on social media. The row intensified on Monday, January 8, as India expressed serious concerns through diplomatic channels, against the backdrop of travel industry players suspending bookings to the island nation and Indian users and celebrities trending the ‘boycott Maldives’ hashtag in protest.

The latest episode is one of several recent incidents that throw light on the evident fault lines in India-Maldives ties. Bilateral relations have hit a rough patch since Mohamed Muizzu was elected President last year on the back of an ‘India Out’ campaign.

The Maldives is a key maritime neighbour of India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), located 300 nautical miles from the Indian mainland (West coast) and 70 nautical miles from the Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep. The country’s location holds significant strategic importance to India, especially amid China’s growing engagements in the region.

Although Maldives-India ties have been mostly cordial over the years, there was a noticeable tilt towards China during the presidency of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Abdulla Yameen from 2013 to 2018. It was under Mr. Yameen that China included the Maldives as a part of its Belt and Road initiative (BRI).

Bilateral ties improved significantly when Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) took over the reins from Mr. Yameen in 2018.

Aiming to reset ties with “one of its closest bilateral partners,” Mr. Solih adopted an ‘India first’ foreign policy to establish a closer relationship with India in the areas of defence, security and economics. The Maldives “makes no apology” for close ties with India, he told The Hindu in a 2021 interview.