Hyundai must be more forceful in apology over Kashmir tweet: Goyal

The government has asked Hyundai Motors to be more forceful in its apology following the furore over its Pakistani partner’s recent tweet on Kashmir, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

Hyundai has already issued a clarification after it faced calls for a boycott of its cars, but there have been demands for the company to apologise unequivocally over the issue.

When the subject was raised in the Rajya Sabha, the commerce and industry minister said the government has conveyed to the company the need for it to be more forceful in their apology.

“This issue has been taken up both with the government there [South Korea] 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.”

Earlier raising the issue, Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena 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.

Similar posts had also appeared from social media handles linked to Kia Motors dealers / partners in Pakistan.

The companies, she said, 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

A row erupted on Sunday, a day after Pakistan marked the annual Kashmir Solidarity Day, when posts on behalf of Hyundai’s partner Nishat Group appeared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Hyundai Motor statement:#Hyundai #HyundaiIndia pic.twitter.com/Ir5JzjS2XP

— Hyundai India (@HyundaiIndia) February 8, 2022

Responding to the furore, Hyundai’s India unit said that it had 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,” it said, adding that it stood firmly behind its “strong ethos of respecting nationalism”.