The strong stand taken by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in regard to doormats advertised on global e-tailer Amazon’s Canadian site bearing the Indian national flag was apt and fully justified. Her threat of Indian visa denial to all Amazon staff if the company continued to indulge in this highly objectionable activity was by no means an over-reaction. It indeed goes to her credit that Amazon Canada promptly withdrew the doormats as the Indian Ministry of External Affairs took up the matter strongly on her bidding. The Indian flag is a symbol of the country’s pride and as minister she is sworn into upholding its dignity. It is unclear whether Amazon Canada has issued an unconditional apology. If it has not done so, it must do so immediately, respecting Indian sensibilities. It is indeed not a good enough explanation that the product was not sold in India.
The episode is the latest controversy to hit Amazon over India-linked items. Last year, the company withdrew footmats that had Hindu deities and images inscribed on them. The company had similarly drawn criticism for selling footmats bearing Islamic inscriptions. Clearly, Amazon has shown that it is a habitual offender and it is high time that its two suppliers of the flag-emblazoned doormats be blacklisted for future. It is a measure of Sushma Swaraj’s alertness that she noticed the misdemeanour and acted on it promptly. One wonders what the Indian High Commission was doing. Amazon has vowed to invest more than $5 billion in India as it takes on home-grown Flipkart and Snapdeal for a bigger share of the rapidly growing e-commerce market. Its official support account on Twitter had earlier responded to angry user comments on Twitter by saying that the mats were not being sold on their Indian portal and the concerns had been escalated. It is a hard reality that Indians especially in western countries are taken for granted. Ms Swaraj has shown the way. Other self-respecting Indians must follow her trail.
