BJP leader calls for Indian troops to be sent to change President Muizzu's government

A senior politician from the ruling BJP party of India has called for the forced removal of the President of Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, through military action.

Yesterday, Dr. Muizzu informed India he expected a rapid withdrawal of their troops, looking to have all Indian forces removed by the 15th of March.

Former Indian legislator and minister, Subramanian Swamy, commented on President Muizzu’s declaration in a post on X. He questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would comply with Dr. Muizzu’s order, or send the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy to oust him. He encouraged the use of force by India to occupy the Maldives.

Swamy was alleged to be a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a nationalist organization in India that has advocated for a Hindu-only state. He has claimed that the RSS is a cultural organization that wants to unify India.

India has agreed to expedite the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives, the Foreign Ministry said. The first meeting of the High Level Core Group between Maldives and India was held today. The meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry of Maldives and highlighted the relations between the two countries. President Dr. Muizzu stated that India had confirmed their planned compliance with the deadline of March 15th that he proposed at the Core Group meeting.

The President also announced yesterday that the government is expanding Aasandha to cover medical expenses and accommodation in Thailand and the UAE to reduce Maldives’ dependence on India for medical treatment. Additionally, instead of importing medicines from India, they are trying to import medicines from Europe and the United States, and from next March, patients will not be transported in Maldives by Indian helicopters and Dornier planes.

In addition, President Muizzu said after his first visit to China last week, China is working to make Maldives the top tourism market at a time when India has started boycotting Maldivian tourism.