Lakshadweep – Maldives: In an attempt to capitalize on the #BoycotMaldives trend, some have posted inaccurate images on Lakshadweep without doing proper research. After some Maldivian leaders disparaged Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was visiting Lakshadweep, the country’s smallest union territory, a large number of Indians took to social media to express their outrage. Influencers, athletes, and celebrities from India are spearheading the #BoycottMaldives movement, encouraging people to travel to Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 islands spanning 32 square kilometers, instead of the Maldives.
On the other hand, a few social media posts have been reported for incorrectly sharing and uploading images, such as depicting Lakshadweep as the location of white, sandy beaches in the Maldives. A rush to capitalize on the #BoycotMaldives trend has resulted in the unverified posting of incorrect images online. Among those who unintentionally shared a photo of the Maldives as Lakshadweep was actor Ranveer Singh. Additionally, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared two images of tourists on an island along with hashtags urging people to discover India before thinking about going overseas.
As Lakshadweep – Maldives, Goof Up Viral #BoycottMaldives Trends
On X, the former Twitter, some users, however, brought attention to the fact that one of Mr. Rijiju’s two posted photos was actually taken in the Maldives, not Lakshadweep. A local politician named Maaiz Mahmood posted a picture of what he claimed to be his island nation in the Maldives, but it was actually an image of the Bora Bora islands in French Polynesia. “The Maldives sunset. Using the hashtag #VisitMaldives, he wrote on X, “You won’t see this in Lakshadweep.” In his post, he also mentioned PM Modi’s X account. Later on, he removed the tweet.
The three ministers, Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid, have been suspended by the Maldives government due to their positions. The first democratically elected president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, vehemently denounced the “appalling” social media posts made by government ministers about Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Lakshadweep islands. Mr. Nasheed denounced these remarks and asked Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, to declare to the world that the ministers’ remarks “do not reflect government policy.”
Ratnavali