The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday refused to comment on a US media report relating India to an unsuccessful plot by the Maldivian opposition to impeach President Mohamed Muizzu. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his weekly briefing, alleged The Washington Post of nursing a “compulsive hostility” towards India.
Jaiswal stated, “Both the newspaper and the reporter in question appear to nurse a compulsive hostility towards India. You can see a pattern in their activities. I leave you to assess their credibility. As far as we are concerned, they have none.” Jaiswal’s reaction came as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Maldivian correspondent Abdulla Khaleel in Delhi to deliberate on maritime security, trade, and investment.
The report, based on an internal document named ‘Democratic Renewal Initiative,’ disclosed that the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) accused the sought USD 6 million from India to oust Muizzu. The opposition arranged to bribe around 40 MPs, including some from Muizzu’s own party, to gather votes for his impeachment. However, it failed to come to pass.
The development came at a time when the Maldives’ relation with India came under exertion after some leaders from Muizzu’s Cabinet made offensive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Muizzu, who came to power based on an ‘India Out’ campaign agenda, also made India withdraw its forces from the country.
The MEA spokesperson also rejected another Washington Post report that claimed India was executing a covert assassination campaign in Pakistan. “As regards Pakistan, I remind you of what Hillary Clinton said, ‘You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors,'” Jaiswal said without going into the details of the matter.
