Diplomacy is the art of smiling even in unwelcome situations. It seeks to extract the maximum from others while yielding minimum ground. Like glass, it is delicate but in reality there’s nothing opaque about it. India and its diplomacy world-wide are impressive to an extent, but other players often manage to outwit us. Even Pakistan, with its shrewd moves, does better than India in global diplomacy. China has its own style of building bridges with nations near and far. The present standoff between Maldives and India is a case in point. It started with provocative comments from three deputy ministers in Maldives against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the PM posted some scenic pictures of Lakshadweep on social media platform X during his visit to the archipelago of 36 enchanting islands.
The unwarranted, hurtful comments against Modi by the Maldivian ministers embarrassed India. There was no reason why these ministers should have reached out to the social media to pass these comments other than that this platform is open to all. Ministers are responsible public figures. Provoking a powerful nation like India should have been the last thing they should have attempted. In the event, Maldives faced an embarrassment and the three ministers were immediately removed from the government. Indian travel agencies, apparently taking the cue from the powers here, suspended mass bookings of tourists to Maldives. The hospitality industry there suffered a jolt. Tourism is the major source of income for Maldives’ economy, apart from sea foods exports, both taking full advantage of the Indian Ocean that holds the archipelago aloft. Lakshadweep too has the same advantages but these have not been tapped to such a large scale as Maldives in the vicinity did. This reflects a serious deficit in our governance systems. The present BJP government itself was more obsessed with efforts to check the sway of Muslims in public life in Lakshadweep. Notably, like Modi, Rajiv Gandhi too had spent a vacation in Lakshadweep when he was PM, and extolled its virtues. The matter ended there.
It is no secret, however, that the relations between Maldives and India, which were very close for many years, are currently facing odds. Pakistan-based Islamists started influencing the government and the people there. The comments by the three ministers are seen in this backdrop. Also, in tandem, China has begun extending an olive branch and providing economic support to Maldives, the way it did with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar to put India in a spot. Significantly, Maldives upgraded its ties with China in the aftermath of the present controversy. Diplomacy demands that India observes restraint even in the face of the present provocation.