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The Maldives government on Sunday suspended two of its ministers after they shared offensive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his Lakshadweep visit on social media, a Maldives spokesperson said.

The decision to suspend Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment Mariyam Shiuna and Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Hassan Zihan from their posts comes after India raised the matter with the island nation today.

Notably, 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.

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

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

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and ex-Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid also condemned Mariyam Shiuna’s derogatory remarks against PM Modi, calling it “appalling language”.

These remarks invited sharp criticism against the Maldivian officials, with several people calling to “boycott the Maldives”.

Amid the row over Maldives ministers’ remarks, many celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, John Abraham, and Shraddha Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut joined the discussion over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep. Some even directly mentioned PM Modi’s visit and the Maldivian response.