India Committed To Deepen Friendly Ties With Maldives: MEA On ‘India Out’ Campaign

New Delhi, Jan 6: Even as the Maldives continues to witness “India Out” protests led by the China-leaning former president Abdulla Yameen, India on Thursday said that it remains committed to deepening its traditionally friendly relationship with the country.
Asked about the “India Out” campaign in the Maldives, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a briefing that India’s relations with the Maldives “are time-tested, close and multi-faceted”.
“Our partnership is aimed at enhancing the common prosperity of the two peoples as well as addressing the shared challenges faced by the two countries and enhancing the security in the region.
“The mutually beneficial nature of this partnership has been affirmed by the Government of Maldives. India remains committed to deepening its traditionally friendly relationship with the Maldives.”
The statement comes even as the police in Maldives arrested 11 people on Wednesday from the opposition coalition’s “India Out” rally in Male.
Maldives Police Service (MPS) said that of the arrested nine were women and two men and they were arrested for obstructing law enforcement officers.
Among those arrested was former parliamentarian Mohamed Ismail.
The opposition coalition, comprising the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC), staged the protest under the “India Out!” campaign, raajje.mv reported.
The “India Out!” campaign has been stepped up since the release of PPM leader, former President Abdulla Yameen.
The Supreme Court in November last year overturned the five-year prison sentence slapped on Yameen, who was found guilty of money laundering in 2019 and released him from prison. Since his release, the opposition party has been hosting rallies every Friday.
The opposition coalition has also begun collecting signatures for a petition under its “India Out!” campaign, which is ongoing in atolls as well.
Almost all other political parties have condemned the campaign and even publicized statements against it. Some of these political parties include ones supporting the incumbent administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and those who do not back the government.