UP restaurant offers free chole bhature for cancelling Maldives trip

India-Maldives row: A restaurant in Uttar Pradesh is offering free 'chole bhature' to anyone who has cancelled their Maldives trip or booked a trip to Lakshadweep.

Far from the unspoiled white beaches of Lakshadweep, a restaurant in Uttar Pradesh has conjured up a great deal: a plate of 'chole bhature' for free with every booking in Lakshadweep or trips to the Maldives cancelled.

As several Indians press the cancel button on the booking portal for their Maldives trip, you are not only getting a refund but also a culinary consolation prize - 'chole bhature'. However, you can only avail of the offer, if you happen to be in Uttar Pradesh.

Jumping on the #BoycottMaldives bandwagon, a restaurant chain in Noida and Ghaziabad is giving away a dish of their 'special chole bhature' for free to anyone who has booked a vacation to Lakshadweep or cancelled their visit to the Maldives.

Speaking about the one-of-a-kind advertisement, the restaurant chain owner explained that he came up with the idea after Maldivian MPs began making derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vivek Mishra, the owner of the Noida-based restaurant, told India Today that through this, he hopes to encourage tourism in Lakshadweep.

Speaking about the free 'chole bhature' offer, Mishra said, "We started this scheme on Saturday, and the response has been very good. In the NCR region itself, 10 people have availed the scheme and they have appreciated it. We now plan to extend the scheme till the end of January."

"It's not only about doing business, but about showing support to the country and its tourism sector," he added.

India-Maldives row

Earlier this month, a massive controversy erupted after the deputy minister of Maldives, along with some other ministers, made racist remarks targeting India and mocked PM Modi's attempt to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist destination. The statements sparked outrage on social media in India, with various people, including celebrities, joining the demand to boycott the island nation.

As India pressed the issue with Male, the Maldivian government released a statement distancing itself from the derogatory remarks made by the leaders and suspended three ministers - Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid.

Meanwhile, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday asked India to "withdraw all Indian military personnel" deployed in the Indian Ocean archipelago by March 15. This came even as senior officials of the two countries met in Male to discuss the issue.

Notably, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, currently stationed in the Maldives.