Mamaearth's Ghazal Alagh Compares Aerial Shot Of Mumbai-Nashik With Maldives, Internet Divided

Amid growing tensions between India and the Maldives following a controversial tweet by a Maldives minister regarding the Lakshadweep Islands, several people including celebrities and cricketers took to social media to express their solidarity with the archipelago and encourage fellow citizens to explore the beauty of the islands. Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh joined hands with others to promote Indian tourism, however, her post was met with a mixed reaction online.

Ms Alagh took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared an aerial shot from her Mumbai-Nashik journey. She was travelling in a chopper and recorded a video of her experience. She compared the scenic beauty of the route to that of the Maldives. The former Shark Tank India judge wrote on the microblogging platform, "If I told you I was in the Maldives right now, you'd believe me, right? But, I'm actually in a chopper from Mumbai to Nashik. India really is no less than the foreign countries that we aspire to go to. We just need to explore it more."

Since being shared, her post has amassed a variety of reactions.

"From the top every landscape looks beautiful. The closer we get the reality hits. As long as we fly a chopper, should not be an issue," said a user.

"Doesn't look like Maldives , Lakshadweep or any island for that matter," added another person.

"I have been to Maldives and I won't believe you that it is even close to Maldives. This is beautiful but let's not draw a comparison of everything with Maldives," wrote an X user.

Another added, "Suddenly everyone is finding India beautiful."

"Well honestly that is an entirely different view v/s Maldives but that said India surely has a lot of places to see!" remarked a person.

"This Tweet would have been more viral if you'd written that you took chopper because your Indigo flight was cancelled. Maldives is old trend. Join the new trend for this week," said a user.

Another user commented, "The Maldives Lakshadweep thingy is over. We have moved on to other things now. Please check your spam folder."

The India-Maldives stand-off erupted after three ministers, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid made critical comments about PM Narendra Modi. All three were suspended and the Maldives government called the remarks "unacceptable", but the fury in India has not abated.

There is also pressure building on President Muizzu and the three-party ruling coalition, which faces a general election later this year. Opposition MPs and political leaders have demanded he be held accountable, and even face a vote of 'no-confidence'. Former Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla told NDTV Indians are "rightfully angry", while ex-President Ibrahim Solih slammed "hateful language".

Mr Muizzu has since added to the controversy with a State visit to China, during which he called for more Chinese tourists, and a warning that his country, though small, would not be "bullied".