The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday rejected a US media report linking India to a failed plot by the Maldivian opposition to impeach President Mohamed Muizzu. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his weekly briefing, accused The Washington Post of nursing a "compulsive hostility" towards India.
"Both the newspaper and the reporter in question appear to nurse a compulsive hostility towards India. You can see a pattern in their activities. I leave you to judge their credibility. As far as we are concerned, they have none," Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal's reaction came as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Khaleel in Delhi to discuss maritime security, trade and investment.
The report, based on an internal document titled 'Democratic Renewal Initiative', revealed that the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) allegedly sought USD 6 million from India to oust Muizzu.
The opposition planned to bribe around 40 MPs, including some from Muizzu's own party, to garner votes for his impeachment. However, it failed to materialise.
The development came at a time when the Maldives' ties with India came under strain after some leaders from Muizzu's Cabinet made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Muizzu, who came to power based on an 'India Out' campaign, also made India withdraw its troops from the country.
The MEA spokesperson also dismissed another Washington Post report that accused India of carrying out covert assassination campaigns in Pakistan.
"As regards Pakistan, I remind you of what Hillary Clinton said, 'You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours'," Jaiswal said without going into the specifics of the matter.
Clinton made the remark in 2011 when she visited Pakistan in 2011 as the US Secretary of State. With then Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar by her side, Clinton demanded greater cooperation from the country to eliminate terrorists and "squeeze" the Haqqani network responsible for attacks in Afghanistan.
Source: India Today