The India-Maldives standoff on late Sunday night intensified after online booking and travel company EaseMyTrip suspended all flight bookings to the Island Nation. EasyMyTrip's decision to suspend all flights to Maldives comes amid the massive boycott Maldives trend on social media. Boycott Maldives trend gained momentum after Maldives Ministers passed derogatory remarks on India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he visited the union territory Lakshadweep Island. During his visit to Lakshadweep Island, PM Modi urged Indians and people around the world to explore the union territory as well. However, this did not go down well with a few Maldives ministers who took to their X handles and started passing indecent remarks. Interestingly, after the flight suspension, EaseMyTrip share price skyrocketed.
Yes! you heard it right. As per reports, on Monday, EaseMyTrip share price was up over 2.5%. EaseMyTrip share price reportedly opened at an intraday low of Rs 41.65 on BSE. Standing in support of India, Nishant Pitti, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Indian online travel company, took to his official X handle and wrote, "In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings"
Not only this, Prashant Pitti also took to his official X handle and wrote, "#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!"
Maldives government suspends three ministers for derogatory remarks against PM Modi
On Sunday, after #boycottMaldives trend intensified, the Maldivian government suspended its three ministers for remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Lakshadweep visit. The ministers-- including Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha, and Hassan Zihan. Though Prime Minister Modi promoted Lakshadweep as a tourist destination and did not even mention Maldives, it irked the ministers of the Island country that said, "India faces significant challenges in competing with the Maldives in beach tourism."
In the post, Shiuna shared a video and referred to Prime Minister Modi as a "clown and puppet of Israel". Malsha also shared Modi's video on X using mocking emoji. In a statement, the Maldivian foreign ministry said it was 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 read.