It is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that Twitter users have an immense fondness for bans and boycotts. And on Tuesday, it was Swiggy's turn. A jibe at Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma backfired, prompting the food delivery platform to issue an apology even as social media users bayed for blood.
As the Mumbai Indians played against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday evening, Swiggy decided to up their promotional game, retweeting a photoshopped post by a Twitter user. The image showed the right-handed batsman reaching out on tiptoes to grab what appears to be a vada pav from a stall next to him. ""Haters will say it's photoshopped," the company's Twitter handle captioned.
The visual is not new. Over the years, Sharma has found himself edited into various situations and locations, reaching out to grab the popular Maharashtrian dish. And whether they approved of the food or not, social media users were quick to defend the IPL captain.
Finding themselves on the backfoot, Swiggy soon deleted the post and tendered an apology. "A special message to the Hitman’s fans: We reposted a fan’s tweet in good humour. While the image was not created by us, we do admit it could’ve been worded better. It was not meant to offend anyone in the least. Needless to say, we’re always with the Paltan," the company assured.
Going by the comments section, the apology has failed to soothe ruffled feathers. And while some used this as an opportunity to lament about their undelivered food orders, most promised that they were going ahead with their uninstallation and boycott process.
This however is not the first time that the company has been boycotted by netizens. In another memorable occasion, their "can't refund education" post in support of the farmers' protest had drawn flak. Of course, this does beg the rather pertinent question of when exactly Swiggy was un-banned online. But much like Twitter's sense of humour, the answer continues to elude.
