Apologise or face visa ban, Sushma warns Amazon after Tricolour row

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asked digital retailer Amazon on Wednesday to apologise for selling doormats in the Tricolour on its Canadian website, warning that she would otherwise enforce a ban on visas to its officials.

“Indian High Commission in Canada: This is unacceptable. Please take this up with Amazon at the highest level,” she said, quoting a tweet sent to her by another Twitter used who posted screengrabs of the products listed on Amazon.ca.

HT had on January 5 reported that Amazon removed such products after protests from Indians and Indian-origin people.

“Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately. If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa to any Amazon official. We will also rescind the Visas issued earlier,” she said.

The Canadian chapter of the Overseas Friends of the BJP was among those who protested last week, and it condemned the “insult of the Indian flag” in a social media post.

The doormats featured a stylised version of the tricolour. They were available on Amazon. ca’s marketplace from the vendor XLYL, which also listed similar doormats featuring the flags of countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States.