MALE: On Monday, during the course of a pre-arranged meeting with the Indian High Commissioner Munu Muhawar, a Maldivian government representative reassured that the recent derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by three suspended deputy ministers do not represent the views of the government as a whole. According to a tweet by the Indian High Commission in Male, Commissioner Munu Muhawar had a meeting with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, the Ambassador-at-Large at the nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “discuss bilateral issues.”

A local news publication, the Sun Online, quoted an anonymous top Male official as saying that Dr Naseer made it clear that the remarks against PM Modi do not represent the views of the Maldivian government while also reaffirming Maldives' continued support for its neighbour. 

Earlier in the day, Moosa Zameer, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Maldives, took to the social media platform X to express the official stance of the ministry and the government. 

On Monday, India also summoned the Maldivian envoy to the country, Ibrahim Shaheeb, to express strong concerns against the statements made by the three deputy ministers. 

It may be recalled that the three deputy ministers in question, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, had made offensive remarks against PM Modi on social media in response to a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep. Their remarks led to a huge uproar online, with many Indian social media users calling for a boycott of Maldives as a travel destination. 

Additionally, several political figures in Maldives also weighed in on the issue and condemned the comments made against PM Modi. Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was one such figure who posted a statement on X saying "I condemn the use of hateful language against #India by Maldivian government officials on social media. India has always been a good friend to Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries."