India-Maldives row: EaseMyTrip suspends flight bookings to Maldives, says ‘Chalo Lakshadweep’

Online travel company EaseMyTrip on Monday (January 8) said it has suspended all flight bookings to Maldives following the derogatory remarks made by Maldivian ministers against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nishant Pitti, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of EaseMyTrip took to his X (Twitter) account to make the announcement.

“In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings,” Pitti wrote.

In another post, using hashtag #ChaloLakshadweep, the company's other co-founder Prashant Pitti said they will come up with special offers for those heading to Lakshadweep.

“#ChaloLakshadweep 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! (sic),” Prashant posted.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Maldivian government suspended three deputy ministers for derogatory social media posts against PM Modi following a backlash with New Delhi 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 row erupted on a day President Dr Mohamed Muizzu embarked on a week-long visit to China.

In New Delhi, official sources said the Indian High Commission in Male strongly raised the matter with the Maldivian foreign ministry.

"Our high commission in the Maldives had strongly raised and expressed concerns about the comments made in regard to the prime minister by certain ministers in the Maldives government with the foreign office today," said a source, according to a report on PTI.

The disparaging 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.

Several cine stars like Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar were among the celebrities who appealed to people to visit "Indian islands" and coastal destinations.

There were also posts on social media claiming that some Indians are cancelling their scheduled trip to the Maldives in view of the row.

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.

(With agency inputs)