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That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s own string of islands similar to the Maldives.

Amid the ongoing irritants in relations, Delhi has commissioned a new naval base in the Indian archipelago Lakshadweep, close to the Maldives.

The Indian Navy said Saturday it plans to build a base called INS Jatayu on Minicoy, the southernmost island in the Lakshadweep archipelago.

The dispute began in January when Modi posted pictures on X, formerly known as Twitter, of himself strolling on the beach and snorkeling in Lakshadweep, an Indian archipelago that his government believes has untapped tourism potential.

The dispute between the two countries worsened last month when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures on social media of himself strolling and snorkelling on the beaches of Lakshadweep, an Indian archipelago that looks nearly identical to the Maldives islands.