Male, Jan. 24 -- Amid strain in India ties over President Mohammad Muizzu asking New Delhi to withdraw its troops from the Maldivian waters and the outrage and diplomatic sparring over disparaging remarks by junior ministers and government officials against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two opposition parties in the Maldives have come out against the current regime over its 'stark' anti-India pivot.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and The Democrats jointly issued a joint press statement, labelling the shift in foreign policy as 'extremely detrimental' to the country's long-term development.

The statement served to reassert and affirm the Opposition's belief that "alienating any development partner, and especially the country's most...