- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
SOUTH KOREAN automaker Hyundai Motor Company on Tuesday (8) said it deeply regrets any offence caused to the citizens of India by an “unauthorised” tweet from the account of its Pakistan partner in support of Kashmir Solidarity Day, an occasion that Pakistan observes to show solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the territories’ separatists who want it freed from India.
In a tweet, Hyundai said, “As a business policy, Hyundai Motor Company does not comment on political or religious issues in any specific region.”
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It also said that its independently owned distributor in Pakistan made “unauthorized” Kashmir-related posts on social media from its accounts and “misused the Hyundai brand identity”.
“We deeply regret any offence caused to the people of India by this unofficial social media activity. We have put in place processes to prevent a future recurrence,” the automaker, which is the second-largest seller in India after Maruti Suzuki with a sale of nearly a million vehicles in the country in the last fiscal and exporting more than a million units, making it the country’s biggest car exporter.
Hyundai’s apology came after it faced a backlash from social media users in India who also threatened to boycott its products sold in the country. They said the South Korean company must apologise for being insensitive to India’s stance on Kashmir over several decades now.
The row erupted on Sunday (6), a day after Pakistan observed its annual Kashmir Solidarity Day. Posts appeared on Twitter on behalf of Hyundai’s partner The Nishat Group, a Pakistani multinational conglomerate company.
When Reuters requested for a reaction, The Nishat Group did not respond.
Meanwhile, the Indian government on Tuesday asked Hyundai Motor Company to be more forceful in its unequivocal apology.
When the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha or upper house of the Indian parliament during the day, Indian commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said the government has conveyed the same to the company.
“This issue has been taken up both with the government there and the company concerned,” Goyal said. “They (Hyundai) have already issued a clarification yesterday. We have also asked them to be more forceful in their unequivocal apology on this issue,” he added.
Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena raised the matter earlier and said certain companies have been offering support and “posting content on Kashmir Solidarity Day observed by Pakistan”.
“The content they have posted on their platforms calls for freedom for Kashmir,” she said without naming Hyundai.
She said these companies do business both in India and Pakistan, and “yet have posted content in solidarity with Pakistan over Kashmir”.
“Such posts that are challenging the sovereignty of our country should not be acceptable. It has been surprising that it has been ignored till now. And also keeping in mind that these companies have been flourishing in India for the past many years yet choosing to take stances that are contentious is unacceptable.
“Companies must respect the rules and laws of the nation they operate in and should refrain from engaging in political and contentious causes,” she said, demanding that the Narendra Modi government ensures apology by the firms for the “seditious posts, and ensure companies that operate here do not challenge the sovereignty of the country”.
Hyundai India said that it has a “zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view”.
Hyundai Motor statement:#Hyundai #HyundaiIndia pic.twitter.com/Ir5JzjS2XP
— Hyundai India (@HyundaiIndia) February 8, 2022
Official Statement from Hyundai Motor India Ltd.#Hyundai #HyundaiIndia pic.twitter.com/dDsdFXbaOd
— Hyundai India (@HyundaiIndia) February 6, 2022
“The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country,” it said, adding that it stands firmly behind its “strong ethos of respecting nationalism”.
India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday that South Korea also expressed regret over the matter. He said the country’s foreign minister Chung Eui-yong spoke to his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to convey a deep regret. Jaishankar also tweeted saying he had discussed with the South Korean minister various issues, including the Hyundai controversy. The ministry also summoned the South Korean ambassador to India over the matter.
Received a call from ROK FM Chung Eui-yong today. Discussed bilateral and multilateral issues as also the Hyundai matter.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 8, 2022
(With agencies inputs)
