Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted photos from his trip to Lakshadweep, where he met with locals, admired the picturesque coastline, and went snorkeling “I’m still in wonderment of its (Lakshadweep) islands’ staggering excellence and the extraordinary warmth of its kin,” he said on X, sharing numerous photos.
The Union territory was a stop on PM Modi’s two-day tour to the South, which also included Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ahead of the important 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He inaugurated and lay the foundation stone for many development projects worth more than Rs 1,150 crore in Lakshadweep, and he named several more that had been completed during his government’s ten years in office.
In awe of Lakshadweep’s breathtaking magnificence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoted the archipelago as a must-see tourism destination for Indians. This was his first tour of 2024, and it marked the start of the BJP’s ‘Mission South’ in preparation for the elections.
However, there was more to the visit than meets the eye.
To begin, the presentation for Lakshadweep as a tourist destination is consistent with the Prime Minister’s push for picking Indian wedding and tourism locations. In November of last year, he questioned the tendency of organizing weddings overseas, as seen among several “big families,” and urged such festivities to take place in India as part of the ‘Wed in India’ campaign.
“Indeed, even needy individuals will inform their youngsters regarding your wedding. Could you at any point extend this mission of ‘Vocal for Neighborhood’? For what reason don’t we hold such wedding services in our own country?” he requested during the 107th release from Mann ki Baat.
During his discourse at the Uttarakhand Financial backers’ Culmination in Dehradun last month, he repeated his allure, pushing Indians to have in any event “one exotic marriage” in the Himalayan slope state. He stated that, similar to ‘Make in India,’ a new movement called ‘Wed in India’ should begin, encouraging young individuals to marry inside India while emphasizing the country’s power and potential.
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“Lakshadweep should be on the bucket list of anyone who wants to embrace their inner adventurer.” During my visit, I also went snorkeling, which was an incredible experience,” PM Modi wrote on X on Thursday.
The Prime Minister’s promotion of Lakshadweep as a tourist destination might be considered as a counter to India’s neighbor, the Maldives, which is a favorite beach vacation among Indians. The Maldives consists of roughly 1,200 islands, although only around 100 of them are inhabited. Many of these islands are well-known for their tourism.
More crucially, with the Maldives’ developing ties with China, there have been concerns about a ‘anti-India’ stance.
The Maldives, led by newly-elected President Mohamed Muizzu, formally requested India to remove its military deployment from the island nation on November 18, last year. Muizzu stated his absolute commitment to keeping his country “free” of any “foreign military presence” in order to maintain its independence and sovereignty. The Maldivian President declared in December 2023 that India has agreed to remove its armed soldiers.
Muizzu’s principal campaign weapon prior to being elected to government.
China and Muizzu’s party have close relations, with the former’s influence in the island nation growing in recent years. China has leased up to ten islands in the Maldives, where it is reportedly stationing ships and conducting large-scale military activities. Furthermore, China is requesting permission from the Maldives to dock its’research survey vessel’ of the Yuan Wang series in order to perform deep-water exploration in the Southern Indian Ocean beginning this month. Chinese officials have also discussed a free trade pact with the Maldives.
If the present administration under Muizzo adopts these, India would suffer a blow.
The focus on Lakshadweep might be beneficial for India since the archipelago’s position would allow the country to monitor Chinese actions in the Maldives.
Lakshadweep Tourism
PM Modi appealed out to the archipelago’s Muslims, who make up the majority of the population, during his address in Lakshadweep after inaugurating and laying the groundwork for several development initiatives. He discussed the initiatives taken by his BJP administration for Haj Yatris that helped the people of Lakshadweep. The Prime Minister also stated that the simplicity of obtaining a Haj visa, the digitization of the procedure, and the ability for women to perform Haj without a ‘Mehram’ had resulted in a significant rise in the number of Indians performing ‘Umrah’.
“Lakshadweep is a small island, but its people have a big heart.” The love and benefits I am experiencing here are overwhelming. “I thank you all,” Prime Minister Modi remarked during his remarks.
This represented the Prime Minister’s Muslim outreach not only in Lakshadweep but also in Kerala before of the Lok Sabha elections. Lakshadweep is strongly reliant on Kerala for commodities and economic support, and the two areas have a tight relationship. PM Modi’s speech to the Muslim-dominated people of Lakshadweep might be interpreted as an attempt to attract Muslim voters from both the Union territory and Kerala ahead of the elections.