EaseMyTrip suspends flight bookings to Maldives over tourism row with India

Maldivian ministers mocked PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep, stating that India could not compete in terms of tourism

EaseMyTrip has suspended all its flight bookings to the Maldives following controversial remarks made by ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narandra Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep. To show solidarity with India, CEO Nishant Pitti announced via his social media page on X (formerly Twitter), on Sunday evening.

In the post Pitti wrote, "In solidarity with our nation, EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings."
 

Responding to this tweet, co-founder Prashant Pitti added that the platform would soon introduce some "crazy special-offers" to promote Lakshadweep islands. He added that, "Water & beaches of Lakshadweep are as good as Maldives/Seychelles."

India-Maldives row

The former Maldives President viewed India as a "key ally" of the island nation in terms of security and economic growth. However, the newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu ran his election platform on denouncing India as an ally and creating closer ties with China. Upon Muizzu's victory, Indian troops were immediately removed from the country.

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The recent row, however, erupted when ministers in Maldives mocked PM Modi's recent visit to the Lakshadweep islands. Politician Zahid Rameez, a council member of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), stated that India could never compete with their nation when it came to tourism, calling it "delusional".

Rameez asked, "How can they provide the service we offer?" 

Despite criticism, Rameez has refused to apologise for the remark.

Maldives' Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, Mariyam Shiuna also wrote in a post (which has now been removed), "What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr. Narendra diver with life jacket."

Malsha Sharif, a ministry colleague of Shiuna also wrote, "Sun set in Maldives. You won't see this in Lakshadweep."

The government of Maldives has tried to distance itself from the comments made by ministers. They released a statement which read, "The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives."

The statement added, "The Government believes that the freedom of expression should be exercised in a democratic and responsible manner, and in ways that do not spread hatred, negativity, and hinder close relationships between the Maldives and its international partners. Moreover, the relevant authorities of the Government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks."