MALE : The “India Out” campaign is led by opposition leader and former President Abdullah Yameen calling for the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives.
This is the second time ”India-Out” has been graffitied on Addu Mayor’s house. “India Out” was graffitied on Addu Mayor Ali Nizar’s car ahead of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s visit to Addu City in March of this year.
The graffiti-cation of the location comes a day after former President Yameen departed from Addu City following a four day visit to the city.
The India-Out campaign began in 2020, when protests led by the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) erupted on the streets of the Maldivian capital, Malé, and in social media against the alleged presence of Indian military personnel on Maldivian soil.
In April 2022, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih gazetted a decree outlawing the “India Out” campaign after the opposition lead campaign to remove the Indian military from the Maldives was deemed a threat to national security by the National Security Council.
Following the special resolution declaring the campaign a threat to national security following with the opposition had announced that they had paused the campaign.
The campaign intensified and gained momentum after Former President Yameen took over the campaign after being freed from imprisonment on charges of corruption in November 2021. Yameen is regarded by many in the Maldives and India as a pro-China leader
