Karnataka govt to sue Amazon for selling bikinis with state flag

New Delhi: Amazon has become the latest company to have come under the scanner of the Karnataka government, barely 50 hours after the state decided to sue Google for showing ‘Kannada’ as the ugliest Indian language. 

This time around, it is Amazon’s Canadian unit that has irked the state government after it was found selling a bikini with the Kannada state flag (yellow and red) and the state emblem on it. 

"Legal action will be taken against Amazon Canada, which uses the colours of the Kannada flag and the state emblem of Karnataka on panties," said Karnataka`s Minister for Forest, Kannada and Culture Arvind Limbawali in a statement on Saturday.

Limbawali said that the Kannada language, culture and heritage have thousands of years of history. He condemned the "foreign corporations which are ignorant of the superiority of Kannada ground and do anything that insults Kannada." 

"I have a vehement opposition to any action that would jeopardize the feeling of the Kannada. As the Minister of Kannada and Culture, I feel that it is necessary to take legal action against such an act," he added. 

Apparently, the items were sold by CafePress, which is reportedly owned by an India-origin individual named Maheesh Jain. Previously, Kannada Rakshna Vedike (KRV) Praveen Shetty protested and gave a call to boycott Amazon. 

Earlier, Karnataka Government On Thursday (June 3) decided to take legal action against Google after a search result on its platform showed Kannada as the "ugliest language" in India.

- With inputs from wires.