In a major move amid the web boycott of the Maldives, EaseMyTrip has chosen to halt all reservations for flights to the Maldives in response to disparaging remarks made by several ministers—who have since resigned—about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his recent visit to Lakshadweep.
Co-founder and CEO of the Indian online travel company Nishant Pitti expressed his support for the country on social platform X, formally Twitter, writing, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.”
EaseMyTrip, an online travel solutions provider, launched the #ChaloLakshadweep campaign to visit Lakshadweep.
Nishant, Rikant, and Prashant Pitti started EaseMyTrip in 2008; the company is based in New Delhi.
In his post on January 4, Prashant Pitti wrote, “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!”
The hashtag #BoycottMaldives gained popularity on social media during the spat between India and the Maldives, leading many Indian travellers to reportedly start postponing their planned trips to the island nation.
Following a backlash in which India brought up the issue, the Maldivian government banned three deputy ministers on Sunday for making disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Modi on social media. Male and the island nation’s leading opposition leaders also criticised the ruling establishment for the controversy.
Modi’s post on ‘X’ after his visit to Lakshadweep drew criticism from the three deputy ministers, who suggested that it was an attempt to position the Union territory as a tourism destination that could rival the Maldives.
Deputy ministers in the youth ministry Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid have been suspended due to their posts, according to many Maldivian media sites that quoted officials. On the day that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu left on a seven-day visit to China, the dispute broke out.
Ibrahim Khaleel, a spokesman for the Maldives president, stated, “All government officials responsible for the comments have been suspended from their post effective immediately.”
On condition of anonymity, those with knowledge of the situation stated that the Indian side had complained to the Maldives about the disparaging comments.
Following his recent visit to Lakshadweep, Modi highlighted the “stunning beauty” of the islands and the “incredible warmth” of its people in a post on X and said: “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”
This led to a number of social media posts advising Indian tourists to visit Lakshadweep rather than the Maldives due to the Male government’s pro-China stance. In addition to defying expectations, Muizzu, who took office in November of last year, recently declared that he will first visit China before moving on to India. Although Muizzu’s first country of visit was Turkey, Maldivian presidents often make their first stop in Delhi.
The ministers’ comments have caused controversy in India, where a number of well-known figures have urged viewers of Channel X to visit their own country rather than go to the Maldives.
A number of celebrities, including cricket star Sachin Tendulkar and actors Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, encouraged people to travel to coastal areas and “Indian islands.”
In social media tweets, Virendra Sehwag, Venkatesh Prasad, Akshay Kumar, cricketer Hardik Pandya, and other former players denounced the three ministers’ “racist” and “hateful” remarks about X.
According to the foreign ministry of the Maldives, the government is aware of “derogatory remarks” made against foreign leaders on social media, but the remarks are personal opinions and do not reflect the government’s stance.
“Authorities in Maldives on Sunday suspended three deputy ministers who have come under fire for their posts on ‘X’ in which they are seen verbally abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India,” according to the news agency.
