Maldives minister, suspended for anti-Modi remark, now mocks Indian flag; apologises after backlash

After facing intense backlash, Mariyam Shiuna, a suspended minister of the Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s People’s National Congress party, has apologised for her social media post in which she allegedly disrespected the Indian national flag.

Her post, which was deleted soon after, has sparked outrage.

Maldives ex-minister apologises after post link to India sparks outrage

“I would like to address a recent social media post of mine that has garnered attention and criticism. I extend my sincerest apologies for any confusion or offense caused by the content of my recent post,” Shiuna, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

“It was brought to my attention that the image used in my response to the Maldivian opposition party MDP bore a resemblance to the Indian flag. I want to make it clear that this was entirely unintentional, and I sincerely regret any misunderstanding it may have caused,” the suspended minister of Maldives further said.

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‘Will be more vigilant’

Shiuna went on to say that the Maldives “deeply value its relationship and, the mutual respect we share with India.”

“In future I will be more vigilant in verifying the content I share to prevent such oversights,” she added.

What deleted post of Maldives ex-minister said?

In a bid to mock an opposition party - the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Shiuna replaced the party’s logo in the campaign poster with a symbol resembling the Ashok Chakra on the Tricolour, ahead of parliamentary elections in the island nation.

The post triggered severe backlash from Indian social media users, who demanded President Muizzu take stern action against Shiuna.

Mariyam Shinua was suspended for disrespecting PM Modi

Shiuna served as the former Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Information, and Arts in the Maldives. She and two other ministers of the island nation were suspended earlier this year after they made disrespectful remarks regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Lakshadweep.

PM Modi promoted Lakshadweep’s beauty on social media, sharing pictures from his visit in January this year. It, however, led to disparaging remarks from Maldivian officials, including Shiuna, towards India and the Prime Minister.

India-Maldives relationship

The diplomatic ties between India and the Maldives soured after Muizzu, who holds a pro-China view, became the president of the island nation.

Muizzu came to power riding on the ‘India Out’ campaign and in the last six months, he has taken a slew of steps including ousting Indian troops posted in Male and allowing an alleged Chinese spy vessel to explore the Indian Ocean region.

Also, China has been continuously increasing its investment and influence in the Maldives which has been further complicating the dynamic for India.

However, despite bitter relations and simmering tensions between the two nations, India remains a crucial economic partner for the Maldives. New Delhi continues to serve as a major source of imports and a key provider of essential commodities like rice and medicine for the island nation.

Recently, India also renewed the quota to import essential commodities to the Maldives for the coming year.

With inputs from agencies