On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), used the microblogging site X to deride Indians
The PPM representative’s highly racist comment targeting Indians was prompted by a post from popular X user Mr Sinha, who shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep.
Who is Maldives council PPM member Zahid Rameez as he makes racist remarks about India and Indians on Twitter/X
Zahid Rameez, @xahidcreator plays victim, says Indians made hurtful comments about Muslims and Palestine. Asks us to "deal with it". Maldives is a safe haven for ISIS. Indians could be attacked there given the radicalisation of the ppl and hostility from the govt. https://t.co/BZUa2U6iRm pic.twitter.com/TAvqkSSlZd
— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) January 6, 2024
Wasn’t this tool, Zahid Rameez, on his knees begging for Indian citizenship a year or so ago? Anyway, Maldives has become highly unsafe for women tourists, with predatory perverts roaming its beaches and hotels. Stay far away from this country.https://t.co/H2yo82fkma https://t.co/sQssQwssPG pic.twitter.com/hgF0C2cVZN
— Anu Iyengar 🇮🇳🇺🇸 (@Anu_Iyengar_) January 6, 2024
Outraged by the offensive remark from the Maldivian politician, Netizens pledged not to choose the Maldives as a vacation destination in the future.
On January 4, PM Narendra Modi shared images of his recent visit to Lakshadweep, encouraging people to explore the scenic island in alignment with his ‘vocal for local’ initiative and to boost tourism in the region.
Mr Sinha posted a picture of PM Modi walking on the pristine beach of Lakshadweep, praising the move and suggesting it was a setback for the new Chinese-influenced government in the Maldives.
In response, Zahid Rameez, on January 5, dismissed the idea of competition, claiming superiority in service and cleanliness.
He remarked, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
Numerous X users expressed their outrage at the PPM member’s racist statement, implying that Indians were unhygienic and dirty. They pledged to boycott the Maldives and advocated for Lakshadweep as the preferred holiday destination.
Rameez Played Victim Card?
Despite the backlash, Zahid Rameez, instead of apologizing or retracting his statement, played the victim card, emphasizing his identity as a ‘Muslim’ and justifying his comments by stating, “I was born in India… I share my thoughts through tweets.”
For unversed, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep on January 2 and 3 as part of his South India tour, which included programs in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Following his visit, searches for Lakshadweep and snorkeling surged on Google, with snorkeling searches increasing by over 2000% and Lakshadweep searches by around 350%.
During his Lakshadweep visit, PM Modi inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 1,150 crore.