New Delhi (Sputnik) — India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has turned the screws on an Amazon official for insulting the national flag. Swaraj issued a series of tweets seeking an unconditional apology from the US based company for selling Indian flags as doormat. Or, as Foreign Minister she will ensure company's officials are not allowed to enter India.
If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa to any Amazon official. We will also rescind the Visas issued earlier.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 11, 2017
"Amazon must tender [an] unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately. If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant visas to any Amazon official. We will also rescind the visas issued earlier," tweeted Swaraj.
Indian High Commission in Canada: This is unacceptable. Please take this up with Amazon at the highest level. https://t.co/L4yI3gLk3h
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 11, 2017
The issue does not involve Amazon India but its Canadian outfit which has been selling doormats emblazoned with the Indian flag. The issue was raised by an Indian Atul Bhobe who tagged her with the screenshot of the company's product.
Amazon is aggressively pushing itself in India to capture the $ 287 bn business-to-business e-commerce market and has announced $ 3 bn in investment plans Amazon' has over 150,000 sellers listed on its platform and has tied up with various Indian government agencies to boost its sales.