Edited by Deepali Verma
Amid the Bharat-Maldives row, the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has urged the Bharatiya Film Industry “to not shoot in Maldives”.
AICWA President Suresh Shyamlal, in conversation with ANI, said, “Maldivian government has instructed our government to withdraw the Indian Army from their islands by March 15. A few days prior, some Maldives ministers made use of wrong words against our Prime Minister Narendra Modi…Owing to this, a trend of boycotting Maldives started in Bharat.”
“My appeal to the Bharatiya film industry is to stop shooting films in Maldives and that no one should go to Maldives for their holidays,” expressed Shyamlal.
Bharat and Maldives currently find themselves standing in the middle of a triggering diplomatic row as after three Maldivian leaders, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, posted derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while mocking him over his recent trip to Lakshadweep.
The matter was strongly raised by Bharat where the top leaders of the island nation were slammed over the row. Further, the Maldives is subject to boycott from Bharatiya tourists which is one of Maldives’ biggest sources of tourism economy after the incident.
Over the ongoing online furore, the Maldivian government has maintained its distance from the remarks against PM Modi. Recently, Maldives local media has come out with reports that Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has asked the Bharatiya government to withdraw the Indian troops from the island nation before March 15.
Notably enough, getting rid of the Bharatiya troops in the Maldives was the centre most campaign of Muizzu’s party. Presently, there are close to around 70 Bharatiya troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters that are stationed in the Maldives.
On the very second day of assuming office, Muizzu officially requested the Bharatiya government to call back its military personnel from the Maldives. In December of the year gone by, President Muizzu claimed that, after dialogue with the Bharatiya government, an agreement for the withdrawal of Bharatiya military personnel was established.
