New Delhi: Immediately after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed his duties, engaging in a detailed conversation with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan banquet for visiting dignitaries on Sunday evening.
President Muizzu, who was seated next to PM Modi, engaged in a serious discussion with the Indian Prime Minister. Muizzu’s visit to India comes seven months after he assumed office on November 17, an unusually long interval for a Maldivian President. Muizzu’s election campaign was marked by the “Out India” slogan, but his administration faced complications due to controversial statements by his junior ministers about India.
While Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to return to Colombo by noon, other visiting leaders, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda, former Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, and Seychelles Vice President Ahmed Affif, will hold meetings with the yet-to-be-announced External Affairs Minister before calling on President Draupadi Murmu.
These leaders, personally invited by PM Modi for his third-term inauguration, share a common concern: the rise of Communist China along the northern borders and in the Indian Ocean Region. The expanding Chinese Navy and its increasing presence in the Indian Ocean are expected to cause future tensions, with at least two Chinese surveillance and spy ships currently in the region.
China’s sensitivity was highlighted when it warned India after PM Modi accepted congratulations from Taiwan’s President on his re-election. Chinese propaganda media also attempted to create friction between India and the US, suggesting that the Biden administration should reconsider its bilateral relations with Delhi, pointing out that PM Modi’s party did not achieve a simple majority in the 2024 polls.
