Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated traders in Pune on Thursday for stopping the import of apples and dry fruits from Turkiye to protest its support to Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Fruit traders at the Pune APMC market boycotted apples and other products from Turkiye after that nation criticised India’s strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

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After the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, the film industry and traders of Maharashtra have boycotted trade with Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan. When asked about the development by media persons, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I congratulate all traders who have decided to boycott imports from Turkiye. At this juncture, ‘nation first’ should be our stand. There is a need to teach a lesson not only to those who orchestrated the killings in Pahalgam but also to the countries supporting them. I welcome this organic feeling of ‘nation first’ among citizens”.

When media persons asked whether Pune traders had received threats from Pakistan due to cutting off trade with Turkiye, Fadnavis said, “Congratulations to those traders who boycotted Turkish goods. The attack on Pahalgam was not only an attack on India but also a major attack on humanity. Our traders who reject the attackers of humanity have to be congratulated. They need not worry”.

In a related development, leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena staged a protest at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (MIAL) on Thursday, calling for the immediate termination of Turkish ground-handling firm Celebi NAS Airport Services, in response to Turkiye’s support for Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and ‘Operation Sindoor’.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders have issued a 10-day ultimatum to the airport authorities to act, warning of an intensified protest mobilising 10,000 party workers if their demand is not met.

Protestors led by Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel criticised a Turkish company like Celebi NAS being allowed to manage nearly 70% of Mumbai airport’s ground services, including passenger handling, flight operations as well as cargo logistics.

“Under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, we will work to shut down all Turkish companies in Mumbai. Earning money from India and using it to help Pakistan is not going to work in Maharashtra,” Patel said during the protest.

Patel stated that he has written to the Chief Airport Officer to suspend Celebi NAS’s permission to conduct business citing “grave concerns” about national security. He cited the Turkish government’s pro-Pakistan stance and warned of “potential risks and vulnerabilities” given Celebi’s access to sensitive information and infrastructure.

“We strongly urge MIAL to take immediate steps to suspend or revoke the operating permissions of Celebi NAS at Mumbai Airport and take over all the operations of Celebi NAS with immediate effect until our national interests are safeguarded,” Patel said.