Male: A suspended junior minister of Maldives’ ruling party ignited controversy with a social media post, misusing elements of the Indian national flag to target the opposition party. The now-deleted post by Mariyam Shiuna featured a Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) campaign poster with the party’s logo replaced by the Ashok Chakra on the Tricolour.
Belonging to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s party, Shiuna used the post as a political prop, saying, “The MDP is heading towards a big slip. The people of Maldives don’t want to fall and slip with them.” This row came a few months after the same minister faced severe backlash from Indian social media users for hateful remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which later led to her suspension, along with two other deputy ministers.
After the latest uproar over her post, Shiuna expressed regret for any confusion or offense caused. She clarified that the resemblance to the Indian flag in the image was unintentional and conveyed the Maldives’ “deep respect for India.”
“I would like to address a recent social media post of mine that has garnered attention and criticism. I extend my sincerest apologies for any confusion or offense caused by the content of my recent post,” she said in a post on X. “It was brought to my attention that the image used in my response to the Maldivian opposition party MDP bore a resemblance to the Indian flag. I want to make it clear that this was entirely unintentional, and I sincerely regret any misunderstanding it may have caused.”
