E-commerce firm highlights positive impact on small traders in India; Cong raps RSS
Hours after RSS mouthpiece weekly magazine Panchjanya attacked Amazon as “East India Company 2.0” and labelled it a “threat to indigenous entrepreneurship”, the e-commerce giant highlighted its “positive impact on small businesses, including sellers, artisans, and delivery and logistics partners”.
“During the pandemic, three lakh new sellers joined us of which 75,000 were local neighbourhood shops (dukaans) from 450+ cities (selling) furniture, stationery, consumer electronics, beauty products, mobile phones, garments, medical products...” a statement by the company said.
The Congress, which had earlier attacked Amazon, found an opportunity to slam the RSS saying whatever the Sangh says was irrelevant as it did not say anything in national interest, but in the interest of the ruling BJP. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the allegations of bribery against the US e-commerce giant are serious and cannot be ignored. “The issue of Amazon is a serious one and it merits everybody’s attention,” he said.
Raising the issue of a bribery scandal being probed by e-commerce giant Amazon, the grand old party last week had alleged that the company’s representatives had paid huge bribes for presence in India during 2018-20.
The article has, however, been backed by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
CAIT said it “greatly appreciated” the cover story and that it “corroborated” the group’s claims that Amazon and Flipkart are “trying to become second edition of East India Company in India”.
“This is exactly what East India Company did... both Amazon and Flipkart want to invade our country’s economic and social culture...” the CAIT chief Praveen Khandelwal said.
In its statement Amazon also highlighted its export program, which it said had helped over 70,000 Indian businesses -- many from smaller cities and towns -- sell “made in India” products across the world.
“Amazon’s exports program is witnessing rapid momentum... today there are 70,000+ exporters from metros as well as Tier II, III and IV cities, selling crores of ‘made in India’ products to customers in 200 countries across the world - truly taking (it) global.”
Asked about the comments of the RSS, Pawan Khera said, “What the RSS says about Amazon is irrelevant because there is a duet going on between the RSS and the BJP. We have seen that duet and they stand exposed in the farmers’ agitation. We have seen the dubious role played by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh as it has not come in support of the farmers even for one day in the last 10 months.”
The Congress leader said “nobody takes what the RSS says seriously anymore, because they do not speak the language in national interest, they talk in the interest of the BJP.”
Amazon was dubbed as “East India Company 2.0” by “Panchjanya”, which has also alleged that the firm has paid crores of rupees in bribes for favourable Government policies. In its latest edition the RSS-linked weekly has carried a cover story that is highly critical of Amazon.
“Whatever the East India Company did in the 18th century to capture India, the same is visible in the activities of Amazon,” the article titled “East India Company 2.0” reads. Claiming that Amazon wants to establish its monopoly in the Indian market, it says, “For doing so, it has started taking initiatives for seizing the economic, political and personal freedom of the Indian citizens.
