CAIT call upon exporters to refrain from doing business with Maldives

NEW DELHI : CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that the offensive comments targeting Prime Minister Modi have been deemed unacceptable by the business community, and this call to boycott aims to express solidarity and register disapproval against such disrespectful behaviour.

Amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Maldives following the derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on social media by Maldivian ministers, traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Monday has urged traders and exporters in India to “refrain from carrying out business dealings with Maldives.”

“While international relations must be based on mutual respect and cooperation, derogatory comments aimed at political leaders can strain bilateral ties. The appeal emphasizes the importance of maintaining diplomatic decorum and fostering positive relations between nations. The Maldives Government should tender an apology to India for the unacceptable utterances of its few responsible people,” said Khandelwal and Bhartia in a statement. 

Expressing serious concerns over the controversial post by the three deputy ministers at the Maldivian Youth Ministry Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, India had summoned the Maldivian envoy Ibrahim Shaheeb on Monday. The three ministers were suspended by Maldives for making derogatory remarks against India and PM Modi on X following a video by the latter promoting tourism in Lakshadweep. 

Following Shaheeb’s summon, the Indian High Commissioner to Maldives Munu Mahawar was also summoned by the country’s foreign ministry. “High Commissioner Munu Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with H.E. Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at MoFA, Maldives, today to discuss bilateral issues,” the India High Commission to Maldives posted on X.

The Maldivian government informed Muhawar that the derogatory remarks against PM Modi do not represent its views, local media SunOnline reported on Monday. “A top government official told Sun that during the meeting, Naseer made it clear that the remarks do not reflect the views of the Maldivian government, and reaffirmed Maldives’ continued support for its neighbor,” the report said.