It’s never been easier for Indians to go to the Maldives. A year ago, if you believed the hype, it was all over between Delhi and Male. A newly elected government had focused on an anti-India platform, and some ministers had made offensive anti-Indian remarks. It seemed to me then that this was a mere ripple in the long relationship between India and the Maldives and judging by its response, our foreign ministry took the same position and said very little in public.

Both sides knew how important the relationship was to India and to the Maldives. We did not want a hostile neighbour on our doorstep. And the leadership of the Maldives recognised that it had nothing to gain by alienating India.

During the election campaign, the India-bashing had gone down well but once the election was won, it seemed counter-productive. The Maldives has always maintained links with China—which built the bridge that finally connected Male with the airport which is located on a separate island— but Male can’t really count on a country that is thousands of miles away and has other preoccupations to rescue it if its largest neighbour is unfriendly.

India has long experience of dealing with hostile small neighbours—such as Nepal and Sri Lanka— and no matter how charged the rhetoric from the other side gets, we rarely respond in kind.........

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