EaseMyTrip suspends all Maldives flight bookings amid row over anti-PM Modi posts: ‘Chalo Lakshadweep’

EaseMyTrip, in a significant move amid the boycott Maldives campaign online, has decided to suspend all Maldives flight bookings following the derogatory remarks made by some ministers, now suspended, against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep.

Standing in support of India, Nishant Pitti, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Indian online travel company, took to social media X (formally Twitter) stating, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.”

Online travel solutions provider EaseMyTrip began visit Lakshadweep campaign by #ChaloLakshadweep.

EaseMyTrip, headquartered in New Delhi, was founded by Nishant Pitti, Rikant Pitti, and Prashant Pitti in 2008.

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!

Amid the row between India and the Maldives, hashtag #BoycottMaldives gained traction on social media, with many Indian tourists reportedly started cancelling their scheduled vacations to the island nation.

Maldivian politicians trigger controversy

On Sunday, the Maldivian government suspended three deputy ministers for derogatory social media posts against Prime Minister Modi following a backlash with India strongly raising the matter with Male and the island nation’s top opposition leaders slamming the ruling establishment over the row.

The three deputy ministers criticised Modi for his post on ‘X’ following his visit to Lakshadweep, inferring that it was an attempt to project the Union territory as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.

Several Maldivian media outlets, quoting officials, reported that deputy ministers in the youth ministry, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, have been suspended over their posts. The controversy erupted on a day President Dr Mohamed Muizzu embarked on a week-long visit to China.

“All government officials responsible for the comments have been suspended from their post effective immediately,” said Ibrahim Khaleel, spokesperson for the President of Maldives.

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the Indian side had conveyed its concerns over the derogatory remarks to the Maldives.

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 spurred several posts on social media urging Indians to visit Lakshadweep instead of the Maldives because of the pro-China tilt of the government in Male. Muizzu, who assumed office last November, also broke with convention by announcing recently that he would visit China before travelling to India. New Delhi is usually the first port of call for Maldivian presidents but Turkey was the first country to which Muizzu made a bilateral visit.

Indian celebrities react

The remarks by the ministers have drawn flak in India, with many celebrities urging people on X to explore domestic tourist destinations instead of going to the Maldives.

Actors Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar were among the celebrities who appealed to people to visit “Indian islands” and coastal destinations.

In social media posts, Akshay Kumar, cricketer Hardik Pandya, former players Venkatesh Prasad and Virendra Sehwag and others also condemned the “hateful” and “racist” comments on X by the three ministers.

What Maldivian foreign ministry said

The Maldivian foreign ministry said the government is aware of “derogatory remarks” on social media platforms against foreign leaders and that the personal views do not represent its position.

“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,” the Atoll Times reported.