Yameen used 'India First' term first, says Shahid

Foreign minister Abdulla Shahid said on Wednesday that although former President Abdulla Yameen and his party, PPM, accused the government of selling the country's independence by allowing military bases of Indian soldiers to be built in the Maldives, Yameen himself was the one who coined the phrase ‘India First Policy’ when he was in power.

Like other rallies of MDP's 'Ufaaveri Amaan Raajje" campaign, Shahid responded to the allegations being made by the opposition against the government and India in his visit to GDh. Thinadhoo on Wednesday as well.

Responding to the opposition's allegation that the government has agreed to build a port for the coastguard and a military base for the Indian army there, Shahid said:

“In the background, the prime minister of India and the then president of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, were applauding,” Shahid said.

He said Yameen first talked about an “India First Policy” on the day the agreement was signed.

"Standing on that podium, he said the phrase 'India First Policy', and it is a word he coined. Now he is pointing fingers at us and saying that we are selling Maldives,” Shahid said.

The previous government signed an MOU to develop UTF. The agreement was not signed even at the end of the government.