Hyundai Motor of South Korea was asked to boycott a car on Monday by an Indian who was outraged by a tweet from a Pakistani partner's account expressing solidarity with the illegally occupied Indian Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)
Pakistan marks the annual Kashmir Solidarity Day and posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on behalf of Hyundai's partner Nishat Group to commemorate the victims of the Kashmiris fighting for self-determination. The line erupted on the following Sunday.
Hyundai's Hundreds of social media users have endorsed the boycott's call and said Hyundai must apologize for being insensitive to India's position in decades of conflict. Dozens of Indians have announced their intention to cancel orders for Hyundai cars. and punish the company,
seeking help from domestic brands such
as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.
.
Responding to the furore, Hyundai's India unit said that it has a
"zero tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly
condemn any such view".
"The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor
India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great
country," @HyundaiIndia said, adding that it stands firmly behind its
"strong ethos of respecting nationalism".
Reuters requested comment from Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul and
from Nishat Group, Pakistan's largest business conglomerate, but did not
receive any immediate response.
Hyundai is India's second-largest car seller after Maruti
Suzuki selling close to half a million vehicles in the country last fiscal
year and exporting over a million units, making it India's largest car
exporter.
Ashwani Mahajan, an official at the economic wing of the powerful
Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group with close ties to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government said Hyundai should clarify its
position on Kashmir.
Indian Twitter user Ashutosh Soni said he has cancelled his
booking for Hyundai's Verna sedan which was due to be delivered this month and
purchased a car from rival Honda Motor
"#BoycottHyundai, that's it!", Soni tweeted from his
handle @CA_AshutoshSoni on Sunday, along with a photograph of himself taking
delivery of a new Honda car.
"Let's make them bankrupt. India is one of the biggest markets
for cars," filmmaker and social activist, Ashoke Pandit said on Twitter
with a screenshot of a fall in Hyundai's share price on Monday.
Hyundai's share price fell 1.25% on Monday, weaker than Seoul's benchmark index, but the main reasons for the fall were concerns over the record number of Covid 19 in South Korea and a global ... chip shortage. Was a concern that could affect production and sales. Anger over social media posts highlights the risks faced by global companies as nationalism grows in the region. India and Pakistan have waged two wars over Islamic-dominated areas, and the Modi administration has pursued aggressive policies to combat the free movement. Twitter users in India made similar calls in the past and tried to boycott Chinese products in 2020 after a border dispute between two Asian giants disrupted the automotive supply chain and other industries. Amazon.com Inc also faced a social media backlash in India after they discovered that overseas websites were selling products with the faces of Hindu gods and other sacred symbols.
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