Vistara’s tweet storm
1 min read . Updated: 22 Apr 2019, 06:14 PM ISTMajor General G.D. Bakshi (Retd) is often seen on television screens as a participant in raucous news debates, vociferously backing nationalist calls for tough military reprisals
Full-service airline Vistara seems to have entangled itself in a bit of an online mess. Over the weekend, it tweeted a photograph of two crew members along with Major General G.D. Bakshi (Retd) on one of its flights. The tweet said the airline was honoured to have a Kargil War hero onboard. What the company would perhaps have thought to be an innocuous tweet, however, upset a section of India’s Twitterati because Major General Bakshi is viewed by many as a war-monger. He is often seen on television screens as a participant in raucous news debates, vociferously backing nationalist calls for tough military reprisals against Pakistan and hard action against terrorism in Kashmir. To contain a controversy over the man’s opinions, the airline deleted the tweet, citing the numerous disrespectful and hurtful comments it had got.
That, Vistara may have imagined, would calm tempers and be the end of it. But that wasn’t to be. A second backlash began, this time with a separate bevy of Twitter users accusing Vistara of having insulted the war hero and swearing not to fly with it until it revived its earlier tweet. A hashtag campaign “#BoycottVistara" quickly gained enough traction to start trending online.
Even though Vistara can’t be blamed for displaying the endorsements of prominent individuals who use its services, this unsavoury episode should serve as a reminder for companies to exercise caution in picking among them. Capturing the voices of satisfied customers is an old advertising tack. There is nothing odd about it. Yet, it’s also important to pick those who do not risk a resultant flare-up of the kind the airline encountered. Even a small slip-up could have negative ramifications for a company. A Tata Group venture should know this.