KFC apologises after social media outrage over message on Kashmir
New Delhi, Feb 7: Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chain KFC on Monday apologised following an outrage on social media over a post from its Pakistan-based franchise supporting separatists in Kashmir.
"We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride," according to a message on KFC India official account on Twitter.
Earlier, in a social media post, a verified account of KFC had supported the separatists in Kashmir and posted "Kashmir belong to Kashmiris."
The incident follows the backlash that Hyundai Motors faced on Sunday on social media after a dealer in Pakistan posted a message supporting separatists in Kashmir.
A Twitter account of a Hyundai dealer in Pakistan with handle @hyundaiPakistanOfficial had posted a message supporting Kashmir Solidarity day, supporting what it called as "struggle for freedom".
Following the post, #BoycottHyundai trended on Twitter in India with many people asking to stop buying the company's products in the country.
On Sunday, Hyundai Motors India put out a message on social media reiterating its commitment to the Indian market.
KFC is a subsidiary of US-based Yum! Brands that also owns popular QSR brands such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
KFC had officially entered the Indian market in June 1995 by opening a restaurant in Bangalore.
Now, it operates over 450 stores in India through its franchise partners, which includes RJ Corp-owned Devyani International and Sapphire Foods.
We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride.
— KFC India (@KFC_India) February 7, 2022
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
