Maldives Speaker face backlash over Gotabaya tweet

Maldives Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has faced intense backlash over his comments regarding the embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

In a tweet, Nasheed claimed that the Sri Lankan President, who recently fled out of his country and sought sanctuary in the Maldives before leaving for Singapore, "would not have resigned if he were still in Sri Lanka, and fearful of losing his life."

The Maldivian Speaker further thanked the "thoughtful actions" of the Maldivian government.

Following his remarks, Nasheed has faced serious backlash and lambaste from notable figures from Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled from Sri Lanka discreetly after months of intensifying public outrage broke threshold leading to thousands storming into the Sri Lankan President's residence in Colombo.

Rajapaksa along with his wife have now left for Singapore via a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight.

Many who criticized Nasheed, had urged him to refrain from commenting on internal politics of Sri Lanka, while some demanded the Speaker to "stay away from matters not concerning" his country.

Many questioned on the authority on which Nasheed was making apparent confirmations about Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation when the Sri Lankan government had not made any official statements regarding his resignation.

Criticisms directed at Nasheed also include direct accusations on the Speaker for being complicit in the evasion of Rajapaksa, who fled the country saving himself from accountability.

Rajapaksa is accused of destroying the Sri Lankan economy through gross misconduct and severe "mis-governance."

The situation in Sri Lanka had intensified as the nation faces fuel and oil shortages with power cuts, and a visible scarcity of food.

Critics and commenters implicate Maldivian government's involvement in Rajapaksa's evasion from his country as a 'repayment' for Sri Lanka providing political asylum for founding members of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) during former President Abdulla Yameen's administration.

The allegations may have been given additional weight as the current acting-President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed with the responsibilities of Rakapaksa, had appointed Nasheed as the special envoy in Sri Lanka's efforts of seeking financial aid from international institutions.