May 17, 2019
Amazon faces backlash in India
Amazon.com faced a social media backlash in India on Thursday after toilet seat covers and other items with images of Hindu gods were spotted on the U.S. retailer’s website, making #BoycottAmazon the country’s top trending topic on Twitter.
Thousands of Twitter users backed the call for the boycott, with some tagging Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and urging her to take action against the world’s biggest online retailer.
This is how Indians across the world reacted to the sale of Hindu gods on toilet seat covers:
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The episode is reminiscent of an incident in 2017 when New Delhi took the Seattle, Washington-based company to task after its Canadian website was spotted selling doormats resembling India’s flag.
Swaraj at the time threatened to rescind visas of Amazon employees if the doormats were not removed from its site.
Reuters found several listings of toilet seat covers, yoga mats, sneakers, rugs and other items depicting Hindu gods, or sacred Hindu symbols, on Amazon’s U.S. website.
Some of the items were no longer available for purchase, suggesting that Amazon may have been withdrawing some of the items, as it did in 2017.
“India is secular nevertheless the minorities have gained the importance and preference in the international community this is the reason the foreign companies make products that hurt Hindu sentiments. The same companies don’t dare to do this kind of a thing referring to other religions. There needs to be a strong protest from Indian govt and it needs to take some meaningful actions against these companies.”– Editor , vedic upasana peeth
Source : India Today
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