A controversial Washington Post report alleging Bharat’s involvement in a plot to impeach Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has drawn sharp reactions, with former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and Indian experts categorically rejecting the claims as baseless. Nasheed defended Bharat, asserting that it has always supported Maldives’ democracy and would never engage in such a scheme.
“India would never back such a move, as they always support Maldives’ democracy. Bharat has never dictated terms to us, either,” Nasheed tweeted, rejecting the report and dismissing any notion of a serious plot against Muizzu.
I read with interest today’s @washingtonpost article. I was unaware of any serious plot against the President; tho some ppl always live in conspiracy. India would never back such a move, as they always support Maldives’ democracy. India has never dictated terms to us, either.
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) December 30, 2024
The Washington Post report, based on a document titled “Democratic Renewal Initiative,” claimed that Maldivian opposition leaders proposed bribing 40 parliament members, including those from Muizzu’s own party, to secure votes for his impeachment.The alleged conspiracy, detailed in an internal document titled Democratic Renewal Initiative, extended to paying off senior army and police officials and enlisting three criminal gangs to ensure Muizzu’s removal.
According to The Washington Post, Maldivian opposition politicians crafted a plan to unseat President Mohamed Muizzu by bribing 40 members of parliament, including some from his own People’s National Congress (PNC).
The report also claimed that $6 million (87 million Maldivian rufiyaa) was sought to fund the plan, allegedly from Bharat. Surveillance records, purportedly provided by a source close to Muizzu, implicated two Bharat’s intermediaries and a senior Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in the alleged scheme.
The intermediaries were identified as Shirish Thorat, a former Bharat’s police officer turned private military contractor, and Savio Rodrigues, a Goa-based publisher with past affiliations to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The report alleged that Thorat and Rodrigues had held covert discussions in Washington with a senior RAW official about the plot.
Despite months of alleged planning, the plot reportedly fell apart due to a lack of parliamentary support. The Washington Post admitted that it remains unclear how seriously Bharat considered the plan or whether it had official sanction from New Delhi.
Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, a prominent opposition leader, dismissed the allegations outright. In a tweet, he stated: “I read with interest today’s @washingtonpost article. I was unaware of any serious plot against the President; though some people always live in conspiracy. Bharat would never back such a move, as they always support Maldives’ democracy. Bharat has never dictated terms to us, either.”
Nasheed’s firm denial states his trust in Bharat as a democratic ally, rejecting any notion of its involvement in undermining Maldives’ sovereignty.
Veteran Bharat’s diplomat Kanwal Sibal lambasted the Washington Post report, calling it a baseless narrative riddled with absurdities. Sibal questioned the credibility of RAW relying on a retired Bharat’s police officer based in the US for operations in Maldives, stating:
What is the point in writing an “investigative” article and presenting it as a big scoop when, as the article says, the plot was not pursued? Making a mountain out of a molehill?
The absurdity of the article is manifest when it says “One of the middlemen used by RAW was an… https://t.co/iMy4zDXxCR
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 31, 2024
“Why should RAW use an ex-Indian cop in the US for an operation in Maldives in consultation with a senior RAW official in our mission in Washington? They have no India-based operatives closer to the Maldives?” Sibal asked, describing the report as an implausible “mountain out of a molehill.”
He further critiqued the claim that Maldives intelligence had access to surveillance records of Bharat’s diplomats in Washington, suggesting that either the US intelligence was feeding this information to the Post or the claims were fabricated.
Sibal argued that the report’s intent seemed to be creating suspicion in Bharat-Maldives relations, especially in light of improving ties, and targeting RAW’s reputation amid unrelated controversies like the Pannun affair.
Relations between Bharat and Maldives have fluctuated significantly in recent years. When Muizzu, a pro-China leader, assumed office in November 2023, his initial “India Out” agenda strained ties, particularly with his calls to withdraw Bharat’s military personnel stationed in the Maldives.
However, Muizzu’s October 2024 visit to Bharat marked a thaw, with both nations emphasising the importance of bilateral ties. Key agreements, including a currency swap arrangement, were signed to aid Maldives’ economy. Muizzu himself highlighted Bharat’s role in the Maldives’ socio-economic development, calling Bharat a “key partner.”
