Maldivian Politician Invites Tourists With France's 'Bora Bora' Pic, Deletes It After Backlash

Amid growing tensions between India and the Maldives following a controversial tweet by a Maldives minister regarding Lakshadweep Islands, a tweet by a Maldivian politician named Maaiz Mahmood has gone viral online. Mr Mahmood, who claims to be a ‘teacher by profession' and a member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives, shared an image of French Polynesia's Bora Bora islands, claiming it to be Maldives. The minister appreciated the scenic beauty of the island he believed to be the Maldives and invited tourists to visit the archipelago while trying to compare it with Lakshadweep.

''Sunset in the Maldives. You won't see this in Lakshadweep,'' he wrote on X while using the hashtag #VisitMaldives. He also tagged Indian PM Modi's X account in his post. However, after criticism, he deleted the tweet. 

Here is the screenshot of the tweet:

As soon as the picture was shared, several social media users mocked him and pointed out the embarrassing goof-up. His post was also flagged as false by community notes. ''This is not Maldives. This is Bora Bora in French Polynesia,'' the community note read, and shared the original website from which the image was taken.

Many users trolled his distasteful tweet and joked that he should have googled before putting up the picture. ''But this is Bora Bora, 14800 Km away from Maldives,'' one user wrote. 

Another commented, ''Yes. In India, we see only the Sunrise both in the morning and the evening.'' A third added, ''This is not Maldives. This is self-sabotage.''

Notably, the controversy started after PM Modi, during his visit to Lakshadweep, posted pictures of snorkeling. The post went viral, drawing positive responses from social media users about the tourism prospects of Laskshadweep. Many suggested that the island Union Territory could even become an alternate tourist destination to the Maldives. 

The trip was criticised by some Maldivian ministers, who made derogatory remarks against the PM and Modi. Three lawmakers of the island nation claimed that through his visit, PM Modi was attempting to project Lakshadweep as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives. The comments sparked outrage on social media, with many Indians expressing their displeasure and even canceling planned vacations to the Maldives.