Pres Yameen is a visionary, cannot say the same for Pres Solih: Nasheed

Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has said that opposition leader Abdulla Yameen is an educated person, and his only disagreement with him is the "India Out" campaign.

Speaking to reporters in Male, Nasheed said that President Yameen, who graduated from The American University in Beirut and the United States, is a leader with a vision, however, he cannot say the same about the current President and his long-time ally, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Nasheed stated that the main dispute between him and President Yameen was over the India Out movement, which he calls "vulgar". He proposed to reconcile the views of MDP and PPM on the India Out issue and is confident that the party will come up with a solution.

Even in his speech at the last meeting before serving an 11-year prison sentence, President Yameen reiterated that Indian soldiers cannot stay in the Maldives and promised to withdraw Indian troops from the Maldives if the party government comes to power. He expanded his India Out movement after the Supreme Court ruled that the five-year jail term awarded to him by the trial court was null and void. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih then issued a resolution and ordered the security forces to stop the event.

The government has also introduced a bill in parliament to amend the Penal Code to make criticism of India a criminal offense. The bill, if passed, would criminalize any criticism of India or Indian nationals and organizations. The move has been criticized as an attempt to silence dissenting voices and curb freedom of speech.