'Don't Want Our Income To Be...': Rajeev Chandrasekhar Doubles Down On Turkey, Azerbaijan Boycott

Former Union minister and renowned entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar has doubled down on the calls for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan, stating that Indian tourists should not spend their hard-earned money in countries that side with Pakistan despite its support for terrorism.

"It's not the time for any right-thinking Indian to be engaged with anything remotely connected to Pakistan or its ecosystem," Chandrasekhar said, while speaking to NDTV Profit on Wednesday.

His statement came in the backdrop of Indian travellers recording a mass cancellation in their planned trips to Azerbaijan and Turkey. The calls for travel boycott to both the countries has reverberated on social media.

The confirmation of Turkish-made drones being used by the Pakistani forces during the escalation against India has intensified the public sentiment against the country.

India's largest online travel agency, MakeMyTrip, has seen a 250% surge in cancellations over the past week, while bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkiye dropped by 60%, according to a company spokesperson. The company has discontinued all promotions to discourage tourism to these two countries.

The second largest player — EaseMyTrip — has also reported several cancellation of trips. "We've seen 22% cancellation of trips to Turkey and more than 30% cancellations to Azerbaijan," Co-Founder and Chairperson Nishant Pitti told NDTV Profit.

Travel aggregators, including Ixigo, Cox & Kings, Pickyourtrail and Travomint, have also suspended fresh bookings to Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the importance of not directing India's resources towards countries that do not align with its interests, Chandrasekhar asserted that the current calls of boycott is a legitimate expression from the people.

"We do not want our hard earned income to be spent in a nation that is a proxy supporter of a country that is clearly aiding terrorism against India," he said, while pointing towards Turkey's role in replenishing Pakistan's drone fleet and its history of needling India at international forums.

Sanjay Panda, former ambassador to Turkey, called for a more diplomatic and measured approach. He said that Turkey has "crossed lines" and that public sentiment should be respected, but he cautions against "knee-jerk reactions."

"We need a well thought through action," he noted, suggesting that India strikes back with staggered economic strikes rather than a full embargo, and said that this would better serve India's long-term objectives.

The ex-diplomat also clarified that the sale of drones to Pakistan was a commercial transaction, not a gift.

Panda also highlighted that Indian spending in Turkey benefits multinational corporations, and that the weakened Turkish currency diminishes the direct impact on the Turkish economy. He suggests that the sentiment of the public should be respected, while still sticking to a staggered economic approach.