E-Paper
EaseMyTrip founder questions MakeMyTrip board members' ‘Chinese affiliations’
Nishant Pitti claimed that three of MakeMyTrip's four key board committees are led or heavily influenced by directors with clear ties to China.
EaseMyTrip Founder and Chairman Nishant Pitti on Friday turned up the heat on rival MakeMyTrip over the alleged Chinese ownership of the latter, saying 5 out of its 10 board of directors have direct ties to China.
In a post on X, he said three of the four most strategic board committees in MakeMyTrip "are either led or significantly influenced by directors with clear Chinese affiliations".
While MakeMyTrip declined to comment on Pitti's latest allegations, it maintained its earlier stance of being an Indian company, fully complying with all applicable laws of the country and data privacy frameworks.
Pitti in a fresh post on X, formerly Twitter, alleged "half of MakeMyTrip's board - 5 out of 10 directors have direct ties to China, including pivotal appointments by Trip.com, a company with Chinese ownership".
In his fresh post on X, Pitti further said, "MakeMyTrip may dismiss this as a "motivated accusation" but when national security is at stake, silence is not an option".
Further, alleging 'Control Behind Closed Doors', he claimed that "3 of the 4 most strategic board committees are either led or significantly influenced by directors with clear Chinese affiliations, giving them disproportionate sway over critical decisions".
Asserting that 'Cosmetic Changes Don't Alter Control', the EaseMyTrip Founder tagged screen-shots of the directors of MakeMyTrip having alleged Chinese affiliations in the post.
"The appointment of a new director on 14 May 2025 changes little. A single board reshuffle cannot mask the deep-rooted structure of Chinese-backed influence that continues to shape the board and committee dynamics," Pitti said.
In an earlier post on Wednesday evening, the EaseMyTrip founder had stated, "Indian Armed Forces book discounted tickets via a platform majorly owned by China, entering Defence ID, route & date. Our enemies know where our soldiers are flying. Attaching screenshots exposing this loophole - it must be patched now".
