India-Maldives diplomatic tensions amidst Lakshadweep development initiatives

PTI, Jan 8, 2024, 10:56 AM IST

On January 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched several development projects valued at over Rs 1,150 crore rupees in Lakshadweep. He inaugurated the submarine optical fibre connection between Kochi and the Lakshadweep Islands, known as Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fibre Connection (KLI-SOFC) project and also laid the foundation stone for upgrading the primary healthcare facility and five model Anganwadi centres in the area.

Submarine optical fibre connections refer to underwater cables made of fiber optics that are laid on the seabed to enable Internet and telecommunication connections between landmasses. These cables are used to transmit data over long distances, including between countries and across oceans, providing high-speed Internet and communication services.

An announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) mentioned that the submarine cable installation would boost Internet speeds on the islands by over 100 times, reaching up to 1.7 Gigabits per second (Gbps).

In his speech in Lakshadweep, Prime Minister Modi focused on the Muslim-majority population of the islands. He discussed the measures taken by his BJP government to assist Haj pilgrims, highlighting their positive impact on the people of Lakshadweep. Modi pointed out improvements like the simplification of Haj visas, the digitization of the application process and the allowance for women to perform Haj without a male guardian (‘Mehram’), which has significantly boosted the number of Indians participating in ‘Umrah’.

Amit Shah thanked Modi on Twitter for enhancing Lakshadweep’s profile, stating that it had great potential to be a top tourist destination worldwide. He noted that this promotion would likely increase tourism and the economy, improving the lives of the local residents. Yet, there was more to PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep than meets the eye.

Response to Maldives?

The Prime Minister’s effort to promote Lakshadweep as a travel destination for island enthusiasts might also be viewed as a response to the Maldives, a neighbouring country and a favoured beach spot for Indian tourists. The Maldives consists of almost 1,200 islands, but only around 100 are populated. Many of these islands are well known for their tourism appeal. The economy of the Maldives, worth $6 billion, mainly relies on tourism. Indian tourists make up about one-fourth of all visitors there.

Just two days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Lakshadweep, an island group in the Arabian Sea, the hashtag ‘Boycott Maldives’ became very popular on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This happened when the relationship between New Delhi and Male (capital of the Maldives) was tense.

Following Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, where he engaged in activities like snorkeling to boost the island’s tourism, Mariyam Shiuna, the Maldives’ Deputy Minister for Youth Empowerment, referred to the Indian leader as a “clown”. This comment upset many people in the South Asian nation.

Zaheed Rameez, a member of the Progressive Party of the Maldives, commented on platform X, “It’s a good initiative, but the thought of competing with us seems unrealistic. How can they match the level of service we provide? How can they maintain such cleanliness? The lasting odour in the rooms will be their major drawback.”

Unstable Relationship

The relationship between India and the Maldives has been unstable since the Maldives’ new president, Mohamed Muizzu, who assumed office in November, requested last month that India withdraw its military forces from the island nation. Currently, there are about 77 Indian defence personnel stationed in the Maldives.

Nearly all Indian military staff in the Maldives are tasked with managing and running Indian defence equipment, such as Dornier planes and helicopters. These are crucial for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts across various islands in the Maldives. Notably, the Maldivian government has recognized that these Indian aircraft and helicopters are solely used for rescue and aid missions, frequently helping tourists who are stranded on deserted islands.

Amid this situation, Muizzu has consistently demanded that India remove its troops from the archipelago, causing tension between the two countries. In the light of these developments, Indian social media users have been encouraging their fellow citizens to avoid the Maldives and visit Lakshadweep instead. They argue that Lakshadweep is just as picturesque as the Maldives and suggest that Indians should vacation there.

In doing so, netizens, especially people who participate in online communities or social media platforms, suggested that India could respond to the Maldives for not acknowledging New Delhi’s efforts in supporting its democratic system. In the past, the Indian armed forces intervened to stop a coup attempt in the Maldives in 1988, which helped maintain democracy in the country.

Lakshadweep Logistics

Lakshadweep, a group of 36 islands, lies 220 kilometres off India’s southwestern coast. The local government’s website states that just 10 of these islands are populated, home to about 73,000 residents. Despite having beautiful white sand beaches, coral reefs and coastal lagoons, successive Indian governments have not developed the islands much. This was a point noted by Prime Minister Modi in his recent public appearances on the archipelago.

Prime Minister Modi emphasized at a public event that, over the past decade, the central government had made every effort to improve the quality of life for the residents of Lakshadweep. He highlighted this while launching projects related to drinking water, solar power and other developments on the islands. The islands are strategically located near the ‘Nine Degree Channel’, a key maritime route where approximately 12 ships pass every minute.

Importantly, Lakshadweep’s position also grants India an additional Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covering roughly 400,000 square kilometres. The islands are described as a crucial ‘naval outpost’ for India in the Arabian Sea and the western Indian Ocean. The islands host monitoring stations for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). India utilizes its military facilities there for various purposes, including medical evacuation and monitoring the Sea Lines of Communications (SLoC).

Under Prime Minister Modi’s administration, India has significantly enhanced its ‘surveillance capabilities’ in the island chain, continuing efforts that began with the previous Congress-led government. India’s first naval base, the INS Dweeprakshak, was established in Lakshadweep in 2012. A naval detachment was also set up on the island in 2016.

Recent reports indicate that New Delhi is expanding the capacity of an airstrip in Lakshadweep from its current 1 kilometre to 3.2 kilometres. This upgrade aims to accommodate advanced surveillance aircraft, such as the P8I Poseidon.

By Girish Linganna
(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: [email protected])