India’s ‘intervention’ in Maldives internal affairs has been forcefully denied by the Ministry of External Affairs, which said the stories had “no credibility” and the publication and reporter have a “compulsive hostility” against India.

This follows a Washington Post story that said opposition in the Maldives wanted USD 6 million from India to help in a plan to remove Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu.

“It seems that the reporter in question and the publication have an obsessive animosity for India. There is a pattern to their actions. I’ll let you decide how credible they are. During today’s weekly briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “As far as we are concerned, they have none.”

Mohamed Nasheed, a former president and leader of the Maldivian Democratic group, the biggest opposition group in the nation, had already denied the Washington Post allegation. Nasheed said that India would never condone such an action and that he was not aware of any “serious plot” against President Muizzu.

“I read the Washington Post piece from today with curiosity. Although certain individuals are constantly involved in conspiracies, I was not aware of any significant scheme against the president. India, which consistently supports the democracy of the Maldives, would never endorse such a move. Mohamed Nasheed said on X, “India has also never dictated terms to us.”

Abdulla Khaleel, the foreign minister of the Maldives, is now in India on a three-day official visit. He is in India for the first time on official business.

He also met with S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, where the two leaders discussed important advancements such the signing of a framework to support the use of local currency in cross-border transactions and more cooperation across sectors.

Mohammed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, visited India in October 2024.

In order to establish a comprehensive relationship in marine security and economics, he had lengthy bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The same issues facing the Indian Ocean Region have been recognized by both presidents.

In order to assist the Maldives in addressing both conventional and non-traditional marine threats, they agreed to strengthen maritime and security cooperation, with India promising to provide knowledge, increase capacities, and take part in cooperative actions.