Those who encouraged the spreading of false information should take responsibility- Thasmeen

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, Leader of the main opposition party, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has said that the people who encouraged those who spread the false information to the media alleging that Thasmeen and the Peoples’ Majlis Speaker Abdullah Shahid took bribes from GMR Infrastructure should take the full responsibility of the damage they have caused.

Thasmeen said that the government leased Male’ International Airport to Indian GMR Infrastructure in a time when the Peoples’ Majlis was working tirelessly to secure state assets. He said that the government signed the lease agreement with the Indian company after the Majlis amended and passed the Finance Act.

Thasmeen said that it was the government who leased Male’ International Airport to GMR Infrastructure. He said that DRP and the Majlis did not play any role in the leasing so there is no motive for GMR to hold secret meetings with him.

Thasmeen asserted that these allegations are just false rumours spread to cause political turbulence.

The DRP Leader highlighted that his party played a major role with other opposition parties to condemn the government’s action to lease the airport to foreign parties

 “The matter is in judicial phase. Then what else can be done? It is impossible to hold demonstrations in the airport and cause strife there. Should we destroy the tourism industry of this country?” he earlier queried.

Thasmeen said that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s faction are hell-bent to weaken the party and its unity, and for discrediting its leadership.

Criticizing Gayyoom’s faction of the party, Thasmeen said that all acts plotted to defame and denigrate the image of the party will do no harm on the party’s work to hold the government accountable.

Thasmeen earlier said that the party will take immediate initiatives to prevent those of Gayyom faction from sliding the party into total anarchy and split. He said that the those who rebel against the decisions of the party is now so rife that the leadership cannot take it any longer since it is obstructing the work of the party.

Thasmeen said that it was the government who leased Male’ International Airport to GMR Infrastructure. He said that DRP and the Majlis did not play any role in the leasing so there is no motive for GMR to hold secret meetings with him. He asserted that these allegations are just false rumours spread to cause political turbulence.

Meanwhile, the news of the fuming internal crisis within DRP has been making headlines in the media for quiet sometime. The anti-Thasmeen movement earlier led by the dismissed DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer, which is now taken over by DRP founding leader Gayoom, has been continuously attempting to expose Thasmeen’s leadership lapses and defame him.

However, against the background of all these mounting challenges and the volatile internal clashes, Thasmeen on his part has been assuring his fellow party members and supporters he will remain firm as Party Leader despite the opposition to oust him. Thasmeen is seen to have the support of other strong politicians such as Speaker Abdulla Shahid.

Though it was Former President, DRP founding Leader Gayoom himself who endorsed Thasmeen to be his successor in party leadership, he later declared that the support for Thasmeen has been lost.