‘Chinese influence', ‘control behind closed doors': EaseMyTrip's Nishant Pitti levels new allegations against MakeMyTrip
EaseMyTruip founder and chairman Nishant Pitti on Friday doubled down on his rival company MakeMyTrip with fresh allegations, saying that its board was under Chinese influence.
'MakeMyTrip may dismiss this as a 'motivated accusation' but when national security is at stake, silence is not an option,' Nishant Pitti said in a post on X on Saturday.
The incident came into light when EaseMyTrip founder Pitti on May 14 said that one of his rival companies is majorly owned by China, which can access information of India's defence personnel.
'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,' he had said at the time, without naming MakeMyTrip but making it clear through screenshots of the company he was talking about.
In his X post on Friday , Pitti said that MakeMyTrip's board was 'under influence'.
'Half of MakeMyTrip's board - 5 out of 10 directors have direct ties to China, including pivotal appointments by http://Trip.com, a company with Chinese ownership,' he said.
The EaseMyTrip founder also accused MakeMyTrip of being controlled 'behind closed doors'.
'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.'
Pitti backed his allegations up with screenshots from MakeMyTrip's website.
'Cosmetic Changes Don't Alter Control,' he said.
'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.'
When LiveMint reached out to MakeMyTrip on Saturday, it refused to change its earlier stance, stressing it was solely an Indian company.
Regarding Pitti's initial allegations, a spokesperson on Thursday told LiveMint that the company is solely Indian with a diverse shareholder base around the globe.
'MakeMyTrip is a proud Indian company, founded by Indians, headquartered in India, and trusted by millions of Indian travellers for over 25 years. We are a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq, with a diverse shareholder base spanning the globe," said a MakeMyTrip spokesperson.
The company further said that its operations are independent and refused to comment on the accusations.
'Our operations are independent, steered by a seasoned team of Indian professionals who bring a wealth of expertise and a commitment to excellence. We adhere to stringent corporate governance standards, fully complying with all applicable Indian laws and data privacy frameworks.'
'We don't comment on malicious or motivated accusations and remain focused on offering our best services to our customers as a responsible Indian corporate.'
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