Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has called for a boycott against Turkey and Azerbaijan after both countries expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’. The political party has also urged people to boycott Turkish Airlines and requested IndiGo to break its codeshare partnership with the airline.
On Wednesday, Turkey and Azerbaijan issued statements expressing solidarity with Pakistan and condemning India’s airstrikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. While Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that the operation was a provocative step, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry expressed condolences to the families of people killed in the strikes.
While these statements have angered Indians who have expressed resentment on social media, the Shiv Sena has also joined the cause and urged people to boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan. At a press conference on Thursday, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC made a call on Indians to refrain from travelling to Turkey and Azerbaijan for their vacations.
In 2024, Turkey recorded 62 million tourists including 3.36 lakh Indian tourists, which was reported by The Free Press Journal in March 2024. Shaina claimed that the total number of Indians travelling to Turkey and Azerbaijan combined in 2024 was approximately 5.7 lakh.
She urged Indians to boycott these countries and refrain from helping them grow their revenue. She also added that the party will write to the Ministry of External Affairs about Turkey and Azerbaijan’s statements and ask the ministry to take action against both.
“Turkey has called Pakistan its brother which means it shares brotherhood with terrorism. India has always helped these countries in its internal conflicts but when its their time, they stand against us. We as Indians stand by our prime minister and the country’s armed forces. Therefore, we will urge MEA to take this seriously and take appropriate actions,” said Shaina.
The Shiv Sena leader also called for a boycott of Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of Turkey, and urged people to refrain from travelling on the airline. She also urged Indian airline IndiGo to end its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, which allows both airlines to sell seats on flights operated by another.
Go Homestays Ends Partnership With Turkish Airlines
While Turkish Airlines is facing heat from Indians on social media, a Mumbai-based travel company Go Homestays on Thursday announced that it has ended its partnership with the airline due to their unsupportive stance towards India. “Going forward, we will no longer include their flights in our international travel packages,” the company said in a statement.
