Maldives President in India Live Updates: PM Modi to meet Ibrahim Mohamed Solih today

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih welcomed by Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan as he arrived in New Delhi on Monday. (Twitter)

This is Solih’s second official visit to India. He came once before in December 2018 days after his election. He was in Bengaluru on an unofficial visit in April 2019 to watch an IPL cricket match.

His visit comes under the shadow of a blistering political row in the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that has pitted him against party colleague and Speaker Mohammed Nasheed. Over the last few months, Nasheed, who is former President, has been speaking openly against Solih and the government. He is also opposed to Solih’s candidature in the 2023 presidential elections.

On Thursday, Nasheed’s simmering hostility towards his former political protege boiled over after police arrested his brother Ahmed Nazim. Nasheed tweeted that “Ibu Solih’s administration has arrested my brother selectively accusing him of homosexuality. Arrest was made against criminal procedures and is politically motivated to appease hardline extremists in coalition”.

Nasheed accused the President of pandering to Islamist hardliners. Maldives is an Islamic republic of Sunni Muslims.