Lakshadweep and the Andamans are "astonishingly beautiful locations", said Amitabh Bachchan on Monday as the megastar hailed India's self-reliance amid a row over disparaging remarks by Maldivian ministers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep and the Andamans are "astonishingly beautiful locations", said Amitabh Bachchan on Monday as the megastar hailed India's self-reliance amid a row over disparaging remarks by Maldivian ministers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep.
Thꦏe 81-♒year-old is the latest prominent personality to express his opinion in the matter after actors Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and veteran cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatesh Prasad and Virender Sehwag appealed to people to explore domestic islands instead of going to the Maldives.
Bachchan quoted Sehwag's X post in which the former cricketer termed the "dig at꧑ our country and our Prime Minister 🎀by Maldives ministers" as an opportunity for India to create necessary infrastructure to attract tourists and boost the economy.
In 🍬his post, Bachchan said Sehw﷽ag's comments were relevant and in "the right spirit of our land".
".. our own are the very best .. I have been to Lakshadweep and Andamans and they are such astonishingly beautiful locations .♔. stunning waters, beaches and the underwater experience is simply unbelievable..
"Hum Bharat hain, hum aatma-nirbhar hain, humari aatma-nirbharta par aanch mat daaliye. Jai Hind (We are India, we are self-reliant, don't test our self reliance. Jai Hind)"𝓡 the star wrote on the microblogging site.
The government of Maldives on Sunday suspended its three deputy ministers ꦡafter they criticised Modi for his post on X following his visജit to Lakshadweep, inferring that it was an attempt to project the Union Territory as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.
Comic-actor Vir Das, however, had a light-hearted take on the 🦂controversy.
"Firstly, happy Lakshadweep is getting some love! Secondly, Somewh🔜ere in the Maldives, right now, is an Indian celebrity/influencer, who didn’t eat carbs for two weeks, took the best vacation photos ever, and is TERRIFIED to post them," Das wrote.
Producer Ektaa Kapooᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ🌼ᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚr said she had returned to X to say that she would take her son to Lakshadweep for an adventure holiday.
"No more ‘mall’ !!! Time to dive into d ‘dweep’ #IndianTourism (sic)" Kapoor said in an apparent reference of pitching the I🅰ndian island over the Maldives.
Actors 🧜Nimrat Kaur and Varun Dhawan shared posts on X with the h👍ashtag 'Explore Indian Islands'.
"No better way to travel than takinꦍg time off from work and life to #ExploreIncredibleIndia. Always lived by it, won’t ever stop! @PMOIndia #BharatKiNimrat," Kaur💮 wrote.
"Seeing our honourable prime minister @narendramodi sir at the beaches in Lakshadweep makes me r𒁏ealise I've been missing out on our pristine beaches and water. Can't wait to book my next holiday," Dhawan said.
There were also posts on social media claiming that some Indians are cancelling their sche🦋duled trip to the Maldives in view of the row.
The🌳 Maldivian foreign ministry said the government is aware of "derogatory remarks" on social media platforms against foreign leaders and that the personal views do not represent its positio🐻n.
Modi was in Laksha☂dweep on January 2 and 3 to inaugurate several projects.