Maldives, a small island nation in the southwest of India and Sri Lanka, consists of 1,200 islands and is spread over 35,000 square miles in Arabian sea. The island country witnessed fresh wind of change when political reformer, Mohammad Nasheed, won elections in 2008.
However, China's growing influence in Maldives led to the ouster of Nasheed in 2012. Later in 2013, Abdallah Yameen took control of Maldives government through Chinese support. Under Yameen's leadership, Maldives began to develop closer ties with China and Saudi Arabia.
Dr Swamy with former Maldives President, Mohammad Nasheed |
With China's support, Maldives internal crisis was about to snowball into a bigger mess, however, Dr Swamy's single tweet on Maldives settled the matter quickly. The tweet is given below for reference:
Dr Swamy's tweet created furore in the power corridors of Maldives as Yameen feared military intervention by India. As a result, Maldives government was forced to announce elections in 2018, which was then won by opposition leader Ibrahim Solih.
The surprise victory of Ibrahim Solih not only provided a fresh lease of life to Indo-Maldives relations but also reduced the growing Chinese influence in Indian ocean. Globally, Solih is perceived to be a pro-India leader, which is evident by Maldives recent snub to Pakistan at OIC.
In May 2020, at a virtual meet of OIC member countries, Maldives rejected Pakistan's allegation on rising Islamophobia in India. UAE also openly rejected the claim and recently, ended its oil supply and loan to Pakistan in retaliation to Pak's growing aggressiveness.
Dr Swamy's role, in setting national agenda, has always worked as a lever to raise India's stature in global politics.
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