The government on Sunday distanced itself from Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy’s remarks that India should invade the Maldives if the upcoming presidential elections in the country are rigged.
Swamy’s remarks, made on Friday, came after former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed said in a meeting with him in Colombo that he was afraid President Abdulla Yameen’s party may manipulate the September 23 elections. Nasheed also retweeted Swamy, who said that India needs an “action plan” in the Maldives as it cannot afford to be “humiliated”.
However, on Sunday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Swamy had expressed his personal views. “It does not reflect the view of government of India,” Kumar said, according to ANI.
In February, Yameen imposed a state of emergency in Maldives after the island nation’s Supreme Court reversed criminal convictions against nine of his opponents. The emergency proclamation, which stayed in place for 45 days, had strained New Delhi’s ties with Male, with Nasheed calling for Indian intervention.
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