Farooq Abdullah: Did rising hatred for Muslims have anything to do with it?

Wading into the controversy around the unsavoury remarks by Maldivian ministers and government officials against Prime Minister Narendra Modi National Conference NC patriarch Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the rising hatred against Muslims in the country may have something to do with itSpeaking to ANI on Tuesday the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said considering how New Delhi stood with the island country in the previous years and even prevented it from being occupied by a foreign power he was at a loss to understand why the Maldivian leaders reacted in the manner they didIndia has always stood by the Maldives When the country was at risk of being occupied by a foreign power our forces went there saved their people and returned to their homeland without occupying an inch of their land So I am at a loss to understand what prompted this controversy Did the rising hatred for Muslims in the country have anything to do with this Only the foreign minister can answer the Lok Sabha MP saidChinas influence in the Indian Ocean region and the Indian subcontinent is increasing It is evident not just there the Maldives but also in Nepal Pakistan and Bangladesh Our government is trying to resolve matters through dialogue but a breakthrough can only be achieved if China shows the right intent India and China could be friends like they used to be earlier during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru when the Panchsheel agreement was inked Abdullah saidMeanwhile Nationalist Congress Party NCP leader Sharad Pawar came out in support of PM Modi saying it wasnt acceptable for a leader holding a responsible public office in another country to make such remarks against the latterHe is our Prime Minister and if a leader in any other country makes such comments about him we wont tolerate them Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai on TuesdayStressing the PMs post must be respected and not subjected to such derogatory remarks the NCP patriarch said The PMs post has to be treated with respect even by leaders elsewhere We wont accept a word against the Prime Minister from anyone outside the countryHowever Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that PM Modi has been in the habit of taking everything personally since he took the countrys reins in 2014Stressing the need for India to maintain good ties with neighbouring countries he said Since Narendra Modi came to power he has been taking things personally We should cultivate and ensure good ties with our neighbours We should act as per the needs of the times as we cant change our neighboursA massive controversy erupted after Maldivian junior ministers and government officials made disparaging remarks about PM Modis recent visit to Lakshadweep and his call to develop the island cluster as a major destination for beach tourismEven as scores of netizens erupted in fury New Delhi summoned the Maldivian envoy to register a strong protest over the unsavoury social media postsThe remarks also sparked a flurry of cancellations of scheduled visits to the island countryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever