Page 12 - The Indian EYE 122223

OPINION DECEMBER 22, 2023 | The Indian Eye 12

this anti-India sentiment, with Indian
diplomats being targeted on various
social media platforms.
THE CASE OF
DHIYARES NEWS
The role of a local news outlet
called Dhiyares News assumed sig-
nificance, with even the ruling Mal-
divian Democratic Party (MDP)
charging that the “continuous bar-
rage of anti-India vitriol” by the out-
fit appeared to be a “well-funded,
well-orchestrated and pre-meditat-
ed political campaign with the ex-
press purpose of whipping up hatred
against the Maldives’ closest ally, In-
dia.”
Former President Yameen, who
was released from jail by then, as-
sumed a leadership role in the ‘In-
dia Out’ campaign. His involvement
added a layer of complexity, consid-
ering his previous alignment with
pro-China policies. The presidential
campaign of Muizzu, a PNC candi-
date who was a coalition partner of
Yameen’s former party PPM, was
centered on fanning the social pan- In 2018, Ibrahim Solih reaffirmed the traditional ‘India First’ policy and his tenure was marked by the re-signing of the agreement
ic generated through the campaign, relating to the Dhruv helicopters (ANI)
which eventually ended up in the fall
of the Solih government. Of the 2,252 handles which engaged GOING FORWARD of his twelfth book of Arthashastra
It is pertinent to highlight the
India has been the first respond-
orchestrated war of narratives over in the sharing of the hashtag, the re- er to each of Maldives’ political, eco- states “एवं जानपदान्समाहर्तुर्भेदयेयुः”. This
roughly translates as “...in the same
port noted that half of them were fol-
the issue. A report by the Colombo lowers of Azaan, where his account nomic, and natural disasters. Despite manner, they should divide the coun-
Information Agency serves as an managed to single-handedly attract this, the generation and seeming ac- try people from the Administrator”
eye-opener in this context. As the 12 per cent of the total traction. ceptance of an anti-India sentiment (12.2.29). As democracies function in
activity on Twitter (where the ‘India Azaan’s pro-China alignment is also due to dis-information campaigns is the contemporary scenario, any state’s
Out’ campaign spread most as the well known. significant. Popular perceptions got sovereignty lies in its population, mak-
hashtag #IndiaOut) was tracked, Regardless, the fact that this or- manipulated which in turn changed ing favourable popular perceptions
it was notable that the 59.3k tweets chestrated disinformation campaign the domestic political mood and po- central to any diplomatic pursuits.
using the hashtag were tweeted by a could be transformed into an organ- litical dynamics, and subsequently Bilateral ties are only as strong as the
mere 2,252 handles—almost half of ic public discourse that defined the the fate and direction of the coun- support that a partner government
which were created between 2019 presidential elections of a country try’s diplomatic engagements. can generate in favour of a policy.
and 2021. speaks volumes of the cognitive vul- While discussing ways to defeat Regardless of the changing do-
Moreover, approximately half of
these newly created handles in turn nerabilities existing in contemporary an adversary through covert means, mestic realities in Male, India’s region-
al and geopolitical relevance will con-
Kautilya’s sutra in the second chapter
times.
were identified as fake. According to tinue to keep relations with New Delhi
the report, around 210 handles were among Male’s high-priority affairs.
responsible for 80 per cent of the
content engagement where a mere Ms Tejusvi Shukla is an independent
eight handles contributed to over security analyst with research interests
12,171 tweets. relating to influence operations and
The report further examined the India’s internal security. She has previ-
role of Dhiyares News and its sis- ously worked as Research Assistant with
ter journal The Maldives Journal in the Centre for Land Warfare Studies
driving this campaign. The journal, (CLAWS) and interned at MP-IDSA
professing an anti-India sentiment, Views expressed are of the author and
was sympathetic to former President do not necessarily reflect the views of
Yameen’s cause, and had an open- the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
ly pro-China stance. The journal Government of India.
published articles titled “Yameen
tortured on Modi’s Orders: Opposi- The full version of this article
tion” and targeted Indian presence first appeared in the Comments section
and alleged “interference” in Male’s of the website (www.idsa.in) of Mano-
internal affairs. Yameen’s tenure was marred with dubious infrastructure project deals with Chinese-owned har Parrikar Institute for Defense
The role of the co-founder Azad companies (File photo) Studies and Analyses, New Delhi on
Azaan was highlighted in the report. December 11, 2023

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