‘Won’t Accept Anything Against Our Prime Minister’: Sharad Pawar On Maldives Row

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar reacted to the ongoing row between India and Maldives which spurred after Maldives Minister’s post on PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep. According to news agency ANI, Sharad Pawar said that it was unacceptable for any other country holding any position to make demeaning comments about the Prime Minister of India. 

“He (Narendra Modi) 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,” said Pawar at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, as quoted by ANI.

Maharashtra | On the row over Maldives MP’s post on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar says “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… pic.twitter.com/7bpQ37uADA

— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2024

The veteran politician further added, “We must respect the PM’s post. We won’t accept anything against the Prime Minister from outside the country.” 

The diplomatic conflict started after the deputy minister, cabinet members, and government officials of the Maldives made derogatory comments on PM Modi’s visit to India’s pristine Union Territory of Lakshadweep. He had shared several pictures of him at the white beaches and the ‘exhilarating experience’ of snorkeling he had there. The message attached to the post read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

Referring to this post, the Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Mariyam Shiuna, mocked and disrespected PM Modi in a post, which has now been deleted.

However, the Maldives government distanced itself from its ministers’ remarks. Moosa Zameer, Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs, released a statement referring to the disgraceful comments of the ministers as “unacceptable” and not a representation of the Maldives government’s official position.

Munu Mahawar, Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, also conducted a “pre-arranged meeting” with Ambassador at Large, Ali Naseer Mohamed, at the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male. 

“High Commissioner Munu Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with H.E. Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at MoFA, Maldives, today to discuss bilateral issues,” said the Indian Commission in the Maldives in a post on X.