'No competition between Lakshadweep, Maldives': Island's ex-Minister amid row

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV on Sunday, Former Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon said there is no need to talk of competition between Lakshadweep and the Maldives as both islands are equally beautiful. 

She said, "Definitely, as friendly countries and with our close neighbours, we look forward to working together in many areas. And this includes tourism as well."

"For Maldivians, the relationship with India is one that is historic, and that has many aspects to it," she added. 

She further said, there had been some "misunderstanding" when asked about Maldivian ministers sharing the remarks on micro-blogging website X, that contained derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  

Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment in the Maldives, had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "clown" and "puppet" in now-deleted posts on X. The tweets were taken down after backlash on the micro-blogging site.

She repeated derogatory remarks against PM Modi in multiple social media interactions.

Apart from Shiuna, other Maldives officials, including MP Zahid Rameez, mocked Prime Minister Modi's visit to Lakshadweep after the photographs gained wide attention on social media, with many comparing it to the Maldives.