Indians have begun a boycott of the Maldives, following posts on Prime Minister Modi describing him as a “terrorist”, “puppet of Israel”, “clown”, and more. These posts, made by three Maldivian ministers, were due to Modi’s visit and later posts on Lakshadweep, an island chain in southwestern India. He invited tourists to come to the islands, though he never said to go there instead of the Maldives.

A foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the posts were personal views, not the official perspective of the government. Another spokesperson said that all three ministers had been suspended shortly after making the derogatory posts about Modi, although many wanted them to be ousted from the government.

The relationship between the Maldives and India has already been tense, especially after the newly elected president Mohamed Muizzu asked around 75 Indian troops to leave the country.

Many Indians said they would cancel trips to the Maldives, including the CEO of an Indian flight booking company, EaseMyTrip. He stated how his company would suspend all bookings to the Maldives. India was shown as the #1 source of tourist income in the Maldives last year, which can be expected to drop due to the public’s anger.