A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ordered Amazon to withdraw sale of doormats with Indian flag in Canada, the company withdrew the items from its website and issued an apology.
In a letter to Swaraj, vice-president and Country Manager of Amazon India Amit Agarwal wrote: “I am writing in connection with the products that carried the Indian flag, as referred to in your tweet... Amazon India is committed to respecting Indian laws and customs. To the extent that these items offered by a third-party seller in Canada offended Indian sensibilities, Amazon regrets the same. At no time did we intend or mean to offend Indian sentiments.”
In his letter, Agarwal also explained that a third-party seller, not Amazon, had listed these products for sale in Canada. “These products were not available in India. After learning of the products’ listing, we immediately removed them from the Canadian website and implemented measures to ensure that these products could not be sold on any of our other marketplaces or websites,” he said. Agarwal also offered to meet Swaraj to discuss the issue and Amazon’s broader relationship with India.
Agarwal added that Amazon remains committed to India, which was evident by CEO Jeff Bezos’ announcement last year of company’s plans to invest $5 billion in India. “We value immensely our relationship with the Indian Government, the country’s entrepreneurs and innovators, an most importantly our Indian customers and employees,” Agarwal said.
Following a complaint on Wednesday about Amazon Canada selling doormats depicting Indian flag on its site, Swaraj asked the company to immediately withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, or face visa ban for its officials. The Minister had also asked the Indian Embassy to take up the matter with Amazon Canada.