New Delhi: The diplomatic relations between India and Maldives have turned sour and a massive uproar erupted after the Deputy Minister of Maldives Mariyam Shiuna and a few other cabinet ministers and government officials made unpleasant references to PM Modi in relation with his recent visit to Lakshadweep. On these derogatory remarks, the government of Maldives suspended three ministers. Now, Indian travel company EaseMyTrip has stood in solidarity with the country and has suspended all Maldives flight bookings. Not only this, the company has also started a new campaign by the name of ‘#ChaloLakshadweep’.
As mentioned earlier, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EaseMyTrip, Nishant Pitti, has announced the suspension of all Maldives flight bookings following the derogatory remarks made by Maldives ministers against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Standing in support of India, Nishant Pitti took to social media X, stating, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.”
Apart from suspending all flight bookings for Maldives, the online travel solutions provider EaseMyTrip began visit Lakshadweep campaign by #ChaloLakshadweep. In his post on X, he said, “Water & beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as Maldives/Seychelles We at @EaseMyTrip will come up with crazy special-offers to promote this pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi has recently visited!”
In the midst of an escalating row between India and the Maldives, hashtag #BoycottMaldives gained traction on social media as Indian tourists started canceling their scheduled vacations to the island nation. Earlier in the day, the Indian Association of Tour Operators predicted that the call for a boycott would become apparent within the next 20-25 days. Many Indians on social media have claimed that they have cancelled their planned holidays to the island nation.
“Suddenly, there has been no inquiry on Maldives. There are sudden drops. Those who have made payments will not cancel them. We are expecting that people will not book trips to the Maldives,” Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said. “Maldives is quite popular among Indians. But this incident will have an impact. We are also seeing an impact right now as well. We are expecting a downfall in people choosing the Maldives as a tourist destination,” a Delhi-based tour operator said on the condition of anonymity.
In a post which has now been deleted, the Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment in Maldives, Mariyam Shiuna had made a mocking, disrespectful reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to the Lakshadweep Islands. The post also features photographs of PM Modi from his visit. Following this post and the derogatory remarks, the Maldives government had suspended three ministers, Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid.
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