2024 India–Maldives diplomatic row

In January 2024, relations between India and Maldives, traditionally close neighbors with strong historical and cultural ties, became strained due to derogatory remarks by Maldivian cabinet ministers and concerns over racism, targeted towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India.

Reactions in India called for a boycott of vacations to the Maldives. The row from the Maldives side led to the death of a young Maldivian teenager who was waiting to be taken to India for medical treatment via an air ambulance, after his family's request was denied by Maldivian authorities.

Background
The 2023 Maldivian presidential election saw Mohamed Muizzu come into power. A key campaign topic throughout the election was the Maldives' position with respect to China and India. The incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih campaigned on an "India-first" policy, aiming to strengthen ties with the Maldives' geographical and cultural neighbour. On the opposite side, Muizzu, adopting the slogan "India out", called for Indian military personnel stationed on the archipelago to leave,  while campaigning for closer relations with China. This kept in line with the policies of former president Abdulla Yameen, founder of the People's National Congress, under whom the Maldives joined China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Muizzu was elected president in the second round, winning 54.04% against the incumbent Solih's 46.04%. Muizzu was sworn in as the new president on 17 November 2023. President Xi Jinping of China welcomed this election, while Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi congratulated Muizzu and conveyed his "good wishes for the strengthening of democracy, peace and prosperity in the country."

Derogatory remarks
In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshwadeep, a union territory of India in the Indian Ocean, and posted his pictures of an island in Lakshwadeep on his Instagram account, in the Indian Government's bid to boost tourism and carry out development there. This prompted many Indians to search and take an interest on the islands. Many Indian users on social media began comparing Maldives, an attractive tourist destination for many Indians with their own domestic islands in Lakshwadeep. In response, Zahid Rameez, a member of the Progressive Party of Maldives, accused the Indian Government of "copying a small economy like Sri Lanka", triggering an online boycott of Maldivian tourism. He sparked further controversy by tweeting that India would be "delusional" to offer decent service and clean rooms as compared to Maldives.

On 7 January, three sitting Maldivian deputy ministers - Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, made derogatory and racist remarks about PM Modi and Indians on social media, coinciding with his visit. The remarks triggered strong reactions in India, with the Indian High Commission in Maldives raising the issue strongly with the Maldivian government. The Maldivian government, under President Mohamed Muizzu, swiftly distanced itself from the comments, suspending the three ministers and emphasizing that their opinions did not reflect the official stance. On 7 January, the Maldivian government issued a statement condemning the derogatory remarks. The statement clarified that these opinions are personal and do not reflect the official stance of the Maldivian government. The statement reaffirmed the government's commitment to freedom of expression exercised in a democratic and responsible manner, emphasizing it should not hinder close relations with India. Additionally, the statement indicated that relevant authorities may take action against individuals making such remarks.

On April, Mariyam Shiuna, one of the suspended Minister made a mocking twitter post on Indian flag. Following uproar over the post, she apologized.

India
The remarks by the Maldivian ministers led to a massive outrage in India, with many people who had planned vacations in the island country cancelling them. The hashtag "#BoycottMaldives" was trending on social media.

Opposition leader and politician Sharad Pawar said "He is the Prime Minister of our country and if anyone from any other country holding any position makes such comments on our PM, we won't accept it. We must respect the PM's post. We won't accept anything against the Prime Minister from outside the country"

Maldives
Former President Mohamed Nasheed stated, "The people of the Maldives are sorry, we are sorry that this has happened". He also said that the Maldives wants Indian people to visit during their holidays, and that this will not affect the country's hospitality. He asked the government to stop the row against India.

Rise in tensions
On 7 January, Muizzu arrived in China on an invitation extended by President Xi Jinping. as a China-pro candidate Muizzu's presidential campaign focused on reducing Indian influence in Maldivian affairs. Observers have described him as pro-China. On 13 January, in the interview after coming back from China, Muizzu said,

"We, our country maybe small. But that doesn't give you the license to bully us!" In pre-office interviews, Muizzu stated that all Indian troops should leave the Maldives. As of 2023, the Maldivian Defence Ministry reported around 90 Indian personnel were stationed in the country, operating aircraft provided by India.

Following a state visit to China, Muizzu requested India to withdraw its troops by 10 May, linking the conflict to the sovereignty of the Maldives. He perceives India's failure to withdraw its troops as a lack of respect for Maldives' democracy. After the second India-Maldives high-level core group meeting, Male announced that India will replace its military personnel involved in the operation of its base in the Maldives. India only stated that both sides agreed on a set of "Mutually Workable Solutions ". The Maldives government announced that 51 of these soldiers were repatriated to India on May 6. As of May 10, the last batch of Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives have been repatriated.

On 9 May, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal informed about the diplomatic meeting between Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar and his Maldivian counter part Zameer. MEA spokesperson also confirmed the process of appointment of "competent Indian technical personnel" in place of Indian troops to keep running the Indian aviation platforms which are crucial for evaluation and other humanitarian assistance and disaster response activities in Maldives.

The move was again confirmed by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer on May 11th, that 78 Indian military personnel will be replaced by civilian employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to order to keep running the Indian aviation platforms gifted to Maldives. Later, Maldivian defence minister accepted that its defence forces are still not capable to fly aircraft donated by India.