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Former Maldives minister Ahmed Mahloof on Sunday said that if Indians boycott Maldives as a tourist destination, it would have a huge impact on the island nation’s economy.

His statement comes after #BoycottMaldives began trending on social media as several Indians, including celebrities, claimed to have cancelled their planned trips to the island nation after Maldives leaders’ derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mahloof further said that he was worried about the “escalating situation” regarding the “racist comments” by a few Maldives leaders against Indians and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I’m deeply worried about the escalating situation regarding the sensitive comments about our closest neighbour. Indians boycotting the Maldives would have a huge impact on our economy. It would be hard for us to recover from such a campaign. I call on the government to swiftly take serious action to solve the issue ASAP,” Mahloof wrote in a post on X.

The former minister emphasised that India will always remain Maldives’ closest neighbour, adding that Indians are always welcome to the island nation.

“As an ordinary citizen of the Maldives, I apologise for the racist comments by a few Maldivians towards Indians and Prime Minister,” he added.

Meanwhile, reacting to Maldives ministers’ controversial remark against PM Modi over his Lakshadweep visit, the Maldives government on Sunday suspended three of its ministers.

The decision to suspend ministers Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid came after India raised the matter with Maldives.

The Maldives government has rejected the derogatory remarks against Modi, stating that they do not represent the views of the Maldivian government.

“The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives,” the official statement read.

WHAT MALDIVES LEADERS SAID

Shiuna had called PM Modi a “clown” and “puppet” in now-deleted posts on X after the Prime Minister posted pictures of his visit to Lakshadweep and pitched the island as a tourist destination for Indians. The tweets were taken down after backlash on the micro-blogging site.

In a now-deleted post, Abdulla Mahzoom Majid had commented on PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, saying, “While I wish success for India’s tourism, targeting the Maldives so explicitly isn’t diplomatic. India faces significant challenges competing in beach tourism, considering our resort infrastructure exceeds their total islands.”

Other Maldives officials, including MP Zahid Rameez, also mocked Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep after the photographs gained wide attention on social media, with many comparing it to the Maldives.