The Centre on Sunday distanced itself from remarks made by ruling BJP MP Subramanian Swamy wherein he suggested India invade the Maldives if signs of rigging appear in the upcoming presidential elections. "The opinion expressed by Swamy in his tweet is personal," said Raveesh Kumar, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, adding "it doesn't reflect the view of government of India".
Swamy was responding to former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed 's apprehensions that the September 23 presidential elections in his country may be rigged by incumbent President Abdulla Yameen's party. Nasheed had a meeting with Swamy in Colombo on Wednesday, following which Swamy tweeted: "India should invade Maldives if rigging of election takes place."
His tweet had created a stir in the region, forcing the government to clarify and distance itself from his stand.
The Maldives is home to 400,000 people and is an archipelago in Indian Ocean. Elections Commission chief Ahmed Shareef has assured that the 2018 presidential poll will be "the most transparent and open" polls. He has also invited observers from eight countries, besides the EU and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to monitor the polls. "Unlike previous elections this election will be fully trusted by the people. We will not be withholding any information other than what we have to keep secret lawfully," he said in Male. In 2016, Nasheed was allowed to go on medical leave to Britain, where he received political asylum. Since last year, he has been in Sri Lanka, working to unite opposition parties to defeat Yameen.
