Amazon, a US-based retail giant, has removed the flip flops having Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s image on them, the Indian government said Thursday.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the government had conveyed a message to Amazon that &quot;offending items&quot; like &#39;Gandhi flip flops&#39; and &#39;dog tags&#39; should not be up for sale on their website as it hurt the sentiments of the Indian public.

&quot;Our Ambassador in Washington had been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third-party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments. We have been in touch with Amazon both in Washington as well as in Delhi and we have had constructive conversations,&quot; Swarup said.

Amazon was selling the flip flops on its American portal.

Ever since news of these slippers with Mahatma&nbsp;Gandhi&rsquo;s pictures surfaced, the Amazon&nbsp;page selling these slippers has been flooded with comments from users, mostly Indian, seeking removal and banning of such products.

&ldquo;Amazon please ban this seller (and take further action if possible) for spreading hate and hurting sentiments of people of India and his followers around the world. MK&nbsp;Gandhi&nbsp;is a very respected figure in India and around the world, and having flip flops with his face, shows the disgusting and dangerous precedence this seller (sick minded and arrogant ) is setting,&rdquo; one Rahul Lokare wrote on Amazon&#39;s webpage.

Last week, after she received a complaint about Amazon Canada selling doormats depicting Indian flag on its site, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reacted sharply and asked the e-retailer to withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, failing which no official of Amazon will be granted Indian visa and the ones issued earlier will also be rescinded. 
 
Following the stern message, Amazon expressed regret for &quot;offending&quot; Indian sentiments and informed Swaraj about removal of the offensive product from its Canadian website.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The retail giants were selling flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi's image on them on its US portal

Amazon, a US-based retail giant, has removed the flip flops having Mahatma Gandhi's image on them, the Indian government said Thursday. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the government had conveyed a message to Amazon that "offending items" like 'Gandhi flip flops' and 'dog tags' should not be up for sale on their website as it hurt the sentiments of the Indian public. "Our Ambassador in Washington had been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third-party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments. We have been in touch with Amazon both in Washington as well as in Delhi and we have had constructive conversations," Swarup said. Amazon was selling the flip flops on its American portal. Ever since news of these slippers with Mahatma Gandhi’s pictures surfaced, the Amazon page selling these slippers has been flooded with comments from users, mostly Indian, seeking removal and banning of such products. “Amazon please ban this seller (and take further action if possible) for spreading hate and hurting sentiments of people of India and his followers around the world. MK Gandhi is a very respected figure in India and around the world, and having flip flops with his face, shows the disgusting and dangerous precedence this seller (sick minded and arrogant ) is setting,” one Rahul Lokare wrote on Amazon's webpage. Last week, after she received a complaint about Amazon Canada selling doormats depicting Indian flag on its site, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reacted sharply and asked the e-retailer to withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, failing which no official of Amazon will be granted Indian visa and the ones issued earlier will also be rescinded. Following the stern message, Amazon expressed regret for "offending" Indian sentiments and informed Swaraj about removal of the offensive product from its Canadian website. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Amazon pulls down 'Gandhi flip flops' after Indian govt protest

Days after the Indian government took umbrage at Amazon over India&#39;s tricolour flag-themed doormats,&nbsp;the retail giant&#39;s American website has been found selling flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s face on it.

The flip flops are being sold for $17 under its &#39;fashion&#39; segment, risking a repeat of censure from the Indian government.

On January 10, India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at the retail giants for selling doormats similar to India&#39;s national flag in a series of tweets. She even threatened Amazon that&nbsp;none of their employees would be granted visa to India if the product wasn&#39;t taken off the website.

Many countries have different laws to deal with national symbols. Indian symbols, both contemporary and modern, are viewed by the public as a manifestation of national identity. But very often, these symbols have been usurped by western retailers without understanding their contemporary political and cultural relevance.

In this case, selling Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s face on flip flops is likely to raise the hackles of the public, and political parties across the spectrum have angrily reacted to the latest discovery.

When WION contacted ruling Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli, the response was: &quot;Gandhi is an ideal in the world and it is not something which can be trampled around. This should be brought to the notice of the authorities.&rdquo;

Former diplomat and Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Pawan Verma told WION: &quot;This is unacceptable. The government must show annoyance. I congratulate Sushma Swaraj for her intervention on the flag issue but this too should be taken up.&rdquo;

The sentiment was echoed by the Congress. &ldquo;This matter should be resolved immediately like the Indian flag doormat issue. The government needs to intervene,&rdquo; said Congress spokesperson RPN Singh.

(WION)

&nbsp;

Flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it is likely to wrack India's sacrosanct attitude towards their national icons

Days after the Indian government took umbrage at Amazon over India's tricolour flag-themed doormats, the retail giant's American website has been found selling flip flops with Mahatma Gandhi's face on it. The flip flops are being sold for $17 under its 'fashion' segment, risking a repeat of censure from the Indian government. On January 10, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at the retail giants for selling doormats similar to India's national flag in a series of tweets. She even threatened Amazon that none of their employees would be granted visa to India if the product wasn't taken off the website. Many countries have different laws to deal with national symbols. Indian symbols, both contemporary and modern, are viewed by the public as a manifestation of national identity. But very often, these symbols have been usurped by western retailers without understanding their contemporary political and cultural relevance. In this case, selling Mahatma Gandhi's face on flip flops is likely to raise the hackles of the public, and political parties across the spectrum have angrily reacted to the latest discovery. When WION contacted ruling Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli, the response was: "Gandhi is an ideal in the world and it is not something which can be trampled around. This should be brought to the notice of the authorities.” Former diplomat and Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Pawan Verma told WION: "This is unacceptable. The government must show annoyance. I congratulate Sushma Swaraj for her intervention on the flag issue but this too should be taken up.” The sentiment was echoed by the Congress. “This matter should be resolved immediately like the Indian flag doormat issue. The government needs to intervene,” said Congress spokesperson RPN Singh. (WION)

Amazon's 'Gandhi flip flops' reignite India's national symbols ire

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Amazon pulls down 'Gandhi flip flops' after Indian govt protest

Amazon's 'Gandhi flip flops' reignite India's national symbols ire