Kalpeni Island, Lakshadweep, India — Sitting on a cane chair at the edge of the Indian Ocean, then strolling on the pristine white sand of a Lakshadweep beach, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi advertised in late December for the federally governed archipelago.
“Those who want to visit different beaches around the world, and are enamoured by them — I request them to first come to Lakshadweep and take a look,” Modi said, in a video widely shared on social media platforms.
That message has triggered a diplomatic crisis between India and the Maldives, South Asia’s smallest nation and a tourist paradise where some ministers hit back in coarse language on social media at what they perceived as an Indian attempt to woo tourists away from their resorts. In turn, Indian social media influencers — including Bollywood stars and ex-cricketers — went into overdrive, pitching Lakshadweep islands as tourist destinations, and others criticising the Maldives.
The Maldives suspended…