What is the Maldives-India Controversy? Here is the matter explained in detail

On January 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a post on Instagram with a picture of himself on a beautiful beach and a caption that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list". The beautiful post showcasing the mesmerizing beach of Lakshadweep took the internet on a storm.
Unexpectedly, the ordinary post stirred a controversy between Maldives and India. The reason for the controversy lies behind the negative comments of three deputy ministers of the Ministry of Youth Affairs in Maldives, namely Malsha Shareef, Mahzoom Majid, and Maryam Shuina about the Prime Minister's recent visit to Lakshadweep Islands and India.
Maryam Shuina linked the connections of India to Israel through a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter. 
Additionally, her colleagues made remarks that said that the visit of the Prime Minister to Lakshadweep was actually intended to challenge the tourism of Maldives. 

The next move was taken by the Indian government talked about the issue with the Maldives. The Maldives government then took the decision of suspending the three deputy ministers of the Ministry of Youth Affairs in Maldives. 

The government of Maldives in a statement further clarified that the Maldives government is aware of such derogatory remarks. It also said that such remarks are actually personal opinions and therefore do not demonstrate the views of the Government of Maldives.
Additionally, the government of Maldives also expressed that it believes in the freedom of expression, however, such freedom has to be handled in a responsible way.

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What has been the impact of the India-Maldives row? 

After the Instagram post of the Indian Prime Minister gained immense popularity on social media, Indian sportspersons, business founders, and prominent celebrities have expressed about the beauty of the Indian islands and how they are eager to travel there. These celebrities included Pooja Hegde, Varun Dhawan, PV Sindhu, Bhumi Pednekar, Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar, and more.
Furthermore, the row between India and Maldives and the popularity of the Instagram post of the Prime Minister has led many Indians wishing to go to Maldives to actually end up canceling their holiday bookings to the country. Not to miss, people are also sharing their cancelation screenshots on social media. Various discussions about Indian beaches have also started on platform X, formerly Twitter with hashtags such as #ExploreIndianIslands.

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