News Desk
On digital news outlets aligned with President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration, Indian infrastructure giant Afcons Infrastructure recently ran a full-width advertisement congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “25 Years of Public Service”.
Afcons Infrastructure paid tribute to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, honoring his milestone of 25 years in public service. The milestone marks 25 consecutive years since PM Modi took office as Chief Minister of Gujarat on October 7, 2001, prior to becoming Prime Minister in 2014.
While framed as a salute to PM Modi’s political tenure, the placement functions as an overt lobbying tactic by a struggling foreign contractor desperate to soften its political standing in the archipelago.
The project featured in the banner—the $500 million Greater Malé Connectivity Project (Thilamalé Bridge)—has turned into a persistent operational headache for both New Delhi and Malé. Plagued by missed deadlines, construction mishaps, and slow progress, the project has drawn sharp criticism from the Maldivian government, which continues to demand that Afcons finish the work within the contracted timeframe.
Facing fierce official scrutiny, Afcons appears to be attempting corporate diplomacy through paid media space. By placing celebratory political banners in outlets friendly to the ruling administration, the Indian firm is courting goodwill among political decision-makers to offset growing frustration over its operational shortcomings.
However, taking out ads in government-aligned media offers little real benefit to the contractor’s standing on the ground. The local administration remains under heavy public pressure to hold foreign contractors accountable for delays, and no amount of paid political flattery can substitute for actual engineering progress. For both the government and Maldivians navigating daily transport disruptions, concrete and completed bridges matter—not propaganda.
