Following three Maldivian ministers' controversial comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home-grown travel company EaseMyTrip has decided to stop bookings to the island nation, saying that “nationalism” is more important than any “personal interest”.

Also read | India-Maldives diplomatic row: 3 ministers suspended, EaseMyTrip stops bookings, Lakshadweep in focus | Top 10 updates

EaseMyTrip Founder Prashant Pitti announced the news in a post We at @EaseMyTrip will be coming up with crazy special offers to promote this pristine destination that our PM @narendramodi recently visited!”

The idea was also supported by EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti, who confirmed that the travel company has indeed suspended flight bookings to the Maldives.

In an interaction with news agency ANI, Prashant Pitti said, “…Our company is completely grown and manufactured in India. Amid the row over Maldivian MP's contribution to Prime Minister Modi's visit to Lakshadweep, we have decided not to accept bookings for Maldives…We want Ayodhya and Lakshadweep to be considered as international destinations…'

Meanwhile, in an interaction with Money controlPrashant Pitti said, “As many as 2.9 lakh people from India visit Maldives every year and we have decided to stop serving them. “Nationalism is greater than any personal interest,”

What is the controversy about?

Last week, a spat erupted on social media when a minister and some other leaders in Maldives made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Modi after the latter posted a video of him on a beach in Lakshadweep.

Mariyam Shiuna's now-deleted post contained pictures of Prime Minister Modi from his recent visit to Lakshadweep. The Deputy Minister for Youth Development, Information and Arts described the Indian Prime Minister as a “clown” and a “puppet of Israel”.

It is noteworthy that the government of Maldives has now decided to remove the three ministers from their posts. A Maldives government spokesman was quoted by local media as saying: “All government officials responsible for the comments have been suspended from their posts with immediate effect.”