MEA: No truth in report linking Delhi to anti-Muizzu plot

In a sharp response to a foreign press report alleging that India plotted to topple Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s government by bribing local politicians, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday questioned the authenticity of the report.

The Washington Post, citing a document titled ‘Democratic Renewal Initiative’, reported that the Maldivian opposition had proposed bribing 40 Members of Parliament, including members of Muizzu’s party, to secure enough votes to impeach him. The report stated, “After months of secret talks, the plotters failed to gather enough votes to impeach the President.”

Dismissing the report as baseless, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Both the newspaper and the reporter in question appear to harbour a compulsive hostility towards India. You can observe a pattern in their activities. I leave it to you to judge their credibility.”

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed also rejected the claims in the newspaper report, stating that he was unaware of any “serious plot” against Muizzu. He emphasised that India would never support such actions.

“I read Washington Post article. I was unaware of any plot against the President, though some people always dwell on conspiracies. India would never back such a move, as they always support Maldives’ democracy. India has never dictated terms to us either,” Nasheed wrote on X.