External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer here and the two leaders had a “frank conversation” on ties between the two countries.

The meeting between S Jaishankar and Mossa Zameer in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala came amid an unease in the Maldives’ bilateral ties with India.

Mr Jaishankar is in Kampala to represent India at the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) beginning Friday.

“Met Maldives FM @MoosaZameer today in Kampala. A frank conversation on India-Maldives ties. Also discussed NAM related issues,” Jaishankar posted on X, sharing a photograph of the meeting.

Met Maldives FM @MoosaZameer today in Kampala.

A frank conversation on 🇮🇳-🇲🇻 ties. Also discussed NAM related issues. pic.twitter.com/P7ResFlCaK

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 18, 2024

In a post on X, Mr Zameer said it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar in the margins of the NAM Summit.

“We exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM,” he wrote.

“We are committed to further strengthening and expanding our cooperation,” the Maldivian minister wrote. He also posted a photograph of the meeting.

The India-Maldives ties came under some stress as Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, maintained after assuming charge as the president in November that he will keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country.

A row erupted on social media earlier this month when a minister and some other leaders in the Maldives used derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he posted a video of him on a pristine beach in Lakshadweep.

Mr Muizzu suspended the three ministers after their social media postings, which stirred concern in India and calls for a boycott by Indian tourists who ranked highest in numbers followed by Russia. Chinese tourists figured third.

The Maldives is one of India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties including in areas of defence and security witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.

In May last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Maldives during which he handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the island nation.

In August, Prime Minister Modi and then Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih kick-started the India-funded Greater Male connectivity project, billed as the largest infrastructure initiative in the island nation.

Under the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect the capital city Male with adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.

The Maldives is also one of the biggest beneficiaries of India’s Neighbourhood First policy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Lok Sabha last month of unethical conduct, will vacate her government bungalow today. The Bengal MP had received an eviction notice earlier this week ordering her to vacate the bungalow immediately.

In a strongly-worded eviction notice, the Centre asked Ms Moitra to immediately vacate the bungalow. The notice by the Directorate of Estates, which manages government properties, stated that if Ms Moitra does not vacate the premises on her own, she and any other occupant “are liable to be evicted from the said premises, if need be, by the use of such force as may be necessary”.

The government in its notice said Ms Moitra had been “allowed sufficient opportunity” but she failed to prove that she is not an unauthorised occupant.

Mahua Moitra was held guilty of “unethical conduct” and expelled from Lok Sabha on December 8 last year for allegedly accepting gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her user ID and password of the Parliament website with him.

Actor Nayanthara has issued an apology days after her film ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ was accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Nayanthara apologised saying she and her team did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments. Her statement came a few days after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the film over the allegations that certain scenes in the movie have hurt the Hindu sentiments, disrespected Lord Ram and promoted ‘love jihad’ through the movie. It also came after the film was removed from the OTT platform Netflix. 

In her post on Thursday, Nayanthara said, “In our sincere attempt to share a positive message, we may have inadvertently caused hurt. We did not expect the removal of a censored film, previously showcased in theatres, from the OTT platform. My team and I never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments and we understand that the gravity of this issue. Being someone who wholely believes in God and frequently visits temples across the country, it is the last thing I would intentionally do. To those whose feelings we’ve touched, I extend my sincere and heartfelt apologies”. 

“The intention behind ‘Annapoorni’ was to uplift and inspire, not to cause distress Over the last two decades, my journey in the film industry has been guided with a singular intention – To spread positivity & foster learning from one another,” Nayanthara added.

The Tamil film ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ features Nayanthara in the lead role. The film follows a girl from an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family aspiring to become a chef in the face of trials and tribulations. 

The movie, which was released in theatres on December 1, began streaming on Netflix on December 29. But it was subsequently removed from the OTT platform following FIRs and claims of hurting Hindu sentiments.  

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Some of the controversial scenes include Nayanthara’s character offering namaz in a hijab before cooking biryani and a friend allegedly influencing her to cut meat by claiming that Lord Rama and Goddess Sita consumed meat. The movie was also accused of promoting “love jihad”.  

Meanwhile, Zee Entertainment, a co-producer of the film, extended a written apology to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). In it, the production house explained that it had never intended to hurt religious sentiments. It further assured the VHP, which is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that the film would not be released again until it was edited.