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Malé

India Out!

Developments in the Maldives could reduce Indian influence.

By Ali Hassan Bangwar | April 2022

Though ties between the Maldives and India have historically and intermittently oscillated between opposition and support, the ongoing anti-India sentiments are raising serious concerns in the ruling political class in Malé. The internal political struggle and antagonism within the Maldives has been giving rise to sentiments against Indian presence in the country.

Dubbed as the “India Out” campaign in the Maldives, various domestic factions have been doing their best to drive the country’s relations with New Delhi to new lows. However, the movement is widely believed to be driven by political rivalries and antagonisms rather than any pragmatic vision or ground.

Following his release, the Abdullah Yameen-led Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) said in December 2021 that the party’s supremo would be personally visiting the atolls to scale up the campaign against Indian boots on the ground. Moreover, Mr Yameen’s and his supporters’ images attired in red T-shirts printed in bold “India Out” slogans widely circulated in the social media.

Additionally, PPM’s vice president and opposition parliamentarian Mohamed Saeed repeated the same assumptions and said, “We are not against India or the people of India. Our people are heavily into Bollywood, we love Indian cuisine. That is not the issue. There are reports of Indian military presence in the atolls and the government is not clarifying this.” “We oppose military presence of any foreign country – be it India, China or whoever else.” Ahmed Azaan, co-founder of Dhiyares, a Maldives online news outlet also said that the central objective of the movement aimed at doing away with Indian military presence from the country. “It is not a call to cut off diplomatic and trade relations with India,” Ahmed said in a tweet. He called for ties with New Delhi without compromising on the sovereignty of the Maldives.

The Maldives government in its statements, expressed serious concerns and termed the campaign against New Delhi as unsubstantiated and misguided and attributed it to small faction of political elements. Terming India as one of the closest bilateral allies and partners, the government termed the campaign as malicious and being against the citizens of Maldives residing in the country and abroad.


Moreover, the ruling MPD plays an ‘India First’ policy, approved to table a Bill to the Maldives’s parliament in a bid to bar former president and opposition leader Abdullah Yameen from the ‘India Out’ campaign and to undo straining of Malé’s relations with New Delhi. The opposition termed the Bill a tactic to curb freedom of expression and expressed reservations against the deepening Maldives-India defence partnership. Critics term the campaign as an attempt to derail ties. Yameen’s closer relationship with China in his tenure is quoted to be the reason behind the move.

“Spreading hatred and making false allegations regarding bilateral ties with neighbouring countries not only tarnishes the relations with trusted allies who extends consistent support to the Maldivian people, but also affects the safety and security of their citizens in Maldives, and Maldivians living abroad,” Maldives official statement reads. In a bid to curb anti-India rhetoric, the government is lobbying to finalize a Bill. The Bill is set to bar politically driven campaigns that threaten Maldives’ relations and foreign policy choices with its strategically-located neighbouring nations. House arrests and jail terms are the penalties in the proposed Bill.

The history of anti-India sentiments can be traced back to 2013 when Abdullah Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) ascended to the presidency. The roots of the narrative lie in certain policy decisions made by Yameen. One such was returning to New Delhi two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALF) gifted to the Maldives coastguard. The helicopters were to be used for maritime weather surveillance and ocean search and rescue operations in Hanimaadhoo and Addu Atoll. The then government censured New Delhi for undermining its sovereignty and military interventions. India was also accused of ulterior motives of encroaching the island. The sentiments had become subdued with Ibrahim Solih’s ascendance to presidency but resurged, perhaps with more severity in 2021.

The president Ibrahim Solih’s government recognised the significance of establishing mutually beneficial interplay with India and has practically reciprocated New Delhi’s “neighbourhood first” policy with an “India first” policy. In the wake of the ‘India Out’ policy, the consistency or survival of “India First” would face testing times ahead. The campaign if it continues unhindered, would undoubtedly be influencing the presidential elections due in 2023 in the Maldives. Though the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) enjoys an overwhelming majority in the parliament, a win for the opposition in general elections would create a wedged political setup with domestic and foreign policy rifts. The key areas of foreign and economic policymaking would likely be affected with policy inputs.

Since India is a critical contributor to the Maldives’ defence, humanitarian and economic sectors, the ‘India Out’ campaign is quite unlikely to root out the former’s foothold from Malé altogether. Nevertheless, it might disrupt the momentum, texture and discourse of bilateral relations between the two countries in the future.

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