Amidst diplomatic tensions between India and Maldives over racial commentary by three now-suspended Maldivian ministers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India, south superstar Nagarjuna has reportedly cancelled his family holiday trip to Maldives.
“I was supposed to leave on January 17th for Maldives for a holiday since I couldn’t spare much time for my family. I worked nonstop for Big Boss and Naa Saami Ranga for 75 days. Now, I’ve cancelled my tickets and plan to visit Lakshadweep next week,” the actor says in a video alongside composer M M Keeravani, as he extended support to the ‘boycott Maldives’ campaign.
Nagarjuna further asserted that the derogatory comments made by the three Maldivian ministers were in bad taste adding that PM Modi represents 1.5 billion Indians and is respected globally.
“I had gone to Maldives quite a few times, but this time I chose not to go there. But their ministers’ comments against our Prime Minister Narendra Modi were in bad taste and they are going to pay a price. PM Modi is the leader of 1.5 billion people and much respected across the world,” the Telugu superstar said.
It all started after the now-suspended Maldivian ministers, namely Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid, recently called Prime Minister Modi a “clown” and a “puppet of Israel” in response to his posts about Lakshadweep islands.
This soon escalated into a heated debate on social media followed by a “Boycott Maldives” campaign and the cancellation of trips to Maldives is picking steam in India. Moreover, the Indian online travel company, Ease My Trip, also suspended all flight bookings to Maldives amidst the controversy. Consequently, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) wrote to Ease My Trip CEO Nishant Pitti seeking his assistance in fostering positive relations between the two countries.
As reported earlier, the tensions between India and Maldives resulted in a significant drop in queries for holidays in Maldives.
Recently, many Bollywood actors including Akshay Kumar, sportspersons and noted personalities came together for a campaign to encourage Indians to “Explore Indian Islands” instead.
Notably, according to the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, India was the main source of tourist influx in 2023. Between January 1 and December 31, 2023, 209,198 Indians visited Maldives. According to the Indian government, India is the 2nd leading source market for Maldives with an 11.1% market share. However, with the recent developments and the Maldivian government’s pro-China stance, the Maldivian tourism industry which the archipelago’s main source of revenue will suffer significantly.