Shaktikanta Das warns Amazon not to be 'flippant' about 'Indian icons'

After external affairs ministry, it is the turn of economic affairs secretary to warn Amazon, a company that has committed to invest about $5 billion in India over sale of tricolour doormats.The economic affairs secretary on Sunday told the company to desist from being flippant about Indian symbols and icons, cautioning it that "indifference will be at your own peril"."Amazon, better behave. Desist from being flippant about Indian symbols and icons. Indifference will be at your own peril," Das said in a tweet.In another tweet, however he added: "Comment on Amazon was as a citizen of India as I felt strongly about it. Nothing more should be read into it."  Last week, after a strong protest by India over Amazon selling doormats depicting Indian flag, the e-retail giant removed the offensive article from its Canadian website.[caption id="attachment_3104764" align="alignleft" width="380"] Shaktikanta Das. File photo. PIB[/caption]A spokesman for Amazon based at its headquarters in Seattle had told The Washington Post that the doormat was no longer for sale on its website.After the Indian flag incident, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had received several complaints of Amazon selling flip-flops with Mahatma Gandhi's image.Some Twitter users have tagged Swaraj in their tweets complaining that the beach sandals with Gandhi's image were being sold on the Amazon US site.When asked, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup did not specifically mention the issue, saying, "As a follow-up to the matter regarding the sale of doormats with the Indian flag on Amazon, our Ambassador in Washington has been instructed to convey to Amazon that while providing a platform for third party vendors, they should respect Indian sensitivities and sentiments."Swaraj's intervention through Twitter had attracted severe criticism from a section of the Indians. Many felt the move by the minister is reducing the governance to a social media event.