"Did rising hatred for Muslims have anything to do with it?": Farooq Abdullah amid row over Maldivian posts against PM Modi

New Delhi [India], January 10 : 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 it.
Speaking 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 did.
"India 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 said.
"China's influence (in the Indian Ocean region and the Indian sub-continent) 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 said.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar came out in support of PM Modi saying it wasn't acceptable for a leader holding a responsible public office in another country to make such remarks against the latter.
"He is our Prime Minister and if a leader in any other country makes such comments about him, we won't tolerate them," Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Stressing the PM's post must be respected and not subjected to such derogatory remarks, the NCP patriarch said, "The PM's post has to be treated with respect even by leaders elsewhere. We won't accept a word against the Prime Minister from anyone outside the country."
However, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, claimed that PM Modi has been in the habit of taking everything 'personally' since he took the country's reins in 2014.
Stressing 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 can't change our neighbours."
A massive controversy erupted after Maldivian junior ministers and government officials made disparaging remarks about PM Modi's recent visit to Lakshadweep and his call to develop the island cluster as a major destination for beach tourism.
Even as scores of netizens erupted in fury, New Delhi summoned the Maldivian envoy to register a strong protest over the unsavoury social media posts.
The remarks also sparked a flurry of cancellations of scheduled visits to the island country.