“#BoycottHyundai” turned
a trend in India over the weekend as several Indian Twitter users took issue
with a tweet put out by a dealer of the company based out of Pakistan on February 5. The HyundaiPakistanOfficial
Twitter handle put out a post in solidarity with “Kashmiri brothers” in their “struggle
for freedom.” February 5 is observed in Pakistan as Kashmir Solidarity Day.

“Let us remember
the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue
to struggle for freedom,” the HyundaiPakistanOfficial handle tweeted, according
to India Today. The post has since been deleted.

Indian Twitter
users immediately took issue with the post claiming that the multinational
company’s post effectively supports Pakistan’s “propaganda on Kashmir.”

Also Read | Indians seeks Hyundai boycott for post on Kashmir 

Surendra Poonia, a
Twitter user, wrote: “How come your official handle in Pak is supporting terror
state Pakistan’s propaganda on Kashmir?” He tagged HyundaiIndia’s official
Twitter handle on his post and wrote, “If you can’t respect sovereignty of my
nation, Pack your bags and leave my country.”

Anshul Saxena, another
Twitter user, tweeted: “Hyundai Pakistan is asking for the freedom of Kashmir.”

With the
controversy raging, Hyundai India put out a statement on Twitter in which the
company said, “The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is
offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country.”

“India is second
home to the Hyundai brand and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards
insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view,” the company’s
post said.

“As part of our
commitment to India, we will continue our efforts towards the betterment of the
country as well as its citizens,” it added.

Also Read | Stands strong on ethos of respecting nationalism, says Hyundai after social media backlash

Hyundai India’s tweet,
however, failed to calm passions. Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Shiv Sena MP, tweeted
that the company needed to apologise unequivocally and the “wishy-washy” words
were unnecessary.

“Hi Hyundai. So
many wishy-washy words not needed. All you need to say is – we are
unequivocally sorry. Rest is all unnecessary.”

Dr Vijay
Chauthaiwale, a BJP member, wrote, “Hyundai India, this is not sufficient. You
must explain if you endorse statements of Pakistan Hyundai? What’s your global
stand on such anti-India rhetoric?”

Hyundai, the
Korean automobile giant, is the second-largest car maker in India, after
Maruti.