Boycott Maldives: EaseMyTrip suspends all Maldives flight bookings after remarks against PM Modi
Boycott Maldives: Following a row over derogatory social media posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep, EaseMyTrip, an Indian online travel agency, announced that it had suspended all bookings for flights to the Maldives.
The decision was made "in solidarity with our nation," according to EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti's post on X early Monday.
"In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings. #TravelUpdate #SupportingNation," Nishant Pitti said on X (formerly Twitter).
The Maldives government suspended three ministers on Sunday after they made offensive remarks about PM Modi during his Lakshadweep visit on social media, according to a Maldives spokesperson.
The decision to suspend ministers Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid came after India raised the issue with the island nation.
Notably, Shiuna referred to PM Modi as a "clown" and a "puppet" in now-deleted posts on X after the Prime Minister posted photos of his visit to Lakshadweep and promoted the island as a tourist destination for Indians. Following a massive backlash from Indians on the microblogging site, the tweets were removed.
Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, in a now-deleted post, commented on PM Modi's Lakshadweep visit and said "While I wish success for India's tourism, targeting the Maldives so explicitly isn't diplomatic. India faces significant challenges competing in beach tourism, considering our resort infrastructure exceeds their total islands."
Other Maldives officials, including Zahid Rameez, an MP from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives, mocked PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep after the photos went viral, with many comparing it to the Maldives.
The Maldives government has rejected the derogatory remarks directed at Prime Minister Modi, claiming that they did not reflect Maldives' views.
After the row erupted, several Indians said they would cancel their trips to the Maldives and started a campaign called #BoycottMaldives.
Many celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, John Abraham, and Shraddha Kapoor, joined the debate over PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep amid the row over Maldives ministers' remarks.
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