New Delhi:

Author Amish Tripathi on Friday engaged in a “Twitter debate” with comedian Kunal Kamra after the latter attacked Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal over his social media post on ‘Sati’, the practice of immolating widows which was first banned under the Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829.

The debate began when Mr Aggarwal, who was last year involved in a public spat with Mr Kamra over alleged service issues with Ola Electric’s vehicles, said that Mr Tripathi’s latest podcast — the “History of Sati Pratha” — was “amazing”.

“It’s hard to find any proof of Sati but very easy to find proof of witch burning in medieval Europe,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) in double quotation marks.

Responding to his post, Mr Kamra said that social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy “fought against” the practice of Sati, which was abolished in 1829.

“The last documented case of Sati in India was as recent as 1987. Please focus on your automobiles being immobile,” he wrote.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought against the practice of Sati; it was abolished in the year 1829. The last documented case of Sati in India was as recent as 1987.

Please focus on your automobiles being immobile… https://t.co/7WvVRBo01n

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) February 13, 2025

Mr Tripathi, the celebrated author of ‘The Shiva Trilogy’ and ‘The Ram Chandra Series’, responded, saying that Mr Kamra should read the 1829 Sati Abolishment Act.

“Kunal, I normally never get into Twitter debates. They generate more heat than light. But since you are attacking Bhavish Aggarwal basis a video that I made, I thought it would be appropriate for me to clarify. I would invite you to read the 1829 Sati Abolishment Act you referred to,” he said.

Kunal (@kunalkamra88 ), I normally never get into twitter debates. They generate more heat than light. But since you are attacking @bhash basis a video that I made, I thought it would be appropriate for me to clarify. I would invite you to read the 1829 Sati Abolishment Act you… https://t.co/uP14Iv30SW pic.twitter.com/UUhCdzG5cR

— Amish Tripathi (@authoramish) February 14, 2025

He added the Act itself noted that Sati was “not enjoined” by the religion of the Hindus as an imperative duty and that the practice of Sati is “almost non-existent”.

“Hindus themselves consider the practice unlawful and wicked,” he said.

“Also, if I may make a suggestion Kunal Kamra… There is a value to manners, even when debating. You will find you make a much greater impact if the words are polite and the tone remains calm,” Mr Tripathi added.

He received a response from Mr Kamra, who said Hinduism is regulated by practices, not a book.

“The practice was prevalent and reformist women and men fought against it. Their struggles are well documented. The first documented case was in the BC era & the last one was in 1987. There’s a reason why mythology & history are two different sections in a bookstore; let’s not confuse the two,” he said.

In his episode, Mr Tripathi said he had “explored the misunderstood history” of Sati.

He was joined by historian and Padma Shri Meenakshi Jain and spoke about the “myths” surrounding Sati and its “colonial misrepresentation as a widespread, scripture-mandated practice”.

Blinkit’s co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa on Tuesday revealed what was ordered most on the quick commerce company’s mobile application on New Year’s Eve, drawing a sharp response from comedian Kunal Kamra, who questioned how much average wages he paid to his delivery partners in 2024.

In a post on X, he said Zomato-backed Blinkit, which claims it delivers items within 10 minutes, received the highest-ever orders in a day, the highest OPM (orders per minute), the highest OPH (orders per hour) and the highest total tips given to delivery partners in a day.

‘1,22,356 packs of condoms, 45,531 bottles of mineral water, 22,322 Partysmart, 2,434 Eno are enroute right now! Prep for after party?,” he posted.

1,22,356 packs of condoms
45,531 bottles of mineral water
22,322 Partysmart
2,434 Eno

..are enroute right now! Prep for after party?

— Albinder Dhindsa (@albinder) December 31, 2024

Kunal Kamra, however, attacked Mr Dhindsa and said the quick commerce platform owners “exploit gig workers” and they “aren’t job creators”.

They are landlords without owning any land, Mr Kamra, who was last year engaged in a fight with Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal over the after-sales and service quality of the company’s electric scooters, charged.

While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side.

Platform owners exploit gig workers & they aren’t job creators.

They are landlords without owning any land.

They don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all…

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

“While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side. They (platform owners) don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all they do is exploit people by offering them freedom that they can’t afford while giving them wages that can’t meet their aspirations,” he said.

ALSO READ | From Porsche To BMW, Video Of Luxury Cars Parked At Zomato, Blinkit Offices Goes Viral

He alleged they are “thugs that are using data as oil without paying for the oil fields”.

“Someday there will be regulation that humbles them,” he added.

Mr Kamra also asked the Blinkit CEO to “enlighten” the public with data on the average wages he paid his delivery partners in 2024.

Can you also enlighten us with data on the average wages you paid your “Delivery Partners” in 2024… https://t.co/v0yBlvobCQ

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

Mr Dhindsa was yet to respond.

What Blinkit Delivery Boys Are Paid

Blinkit delivery partners earn up to Rs 50,000 per month with incentives and other benefits, according to the company’s website.

Their payments are made every 7 days and they can be their “own boss” by choosing their work hours (4, 8 or 10 hours), the website says.

The delivery partners, who should be 18 years of age or older, also get up to Rs 10 lac accidental and medical insurance.

They also get a joining bonus of up to Rs 4,000.

Blinkit, a Unicorn based in Gurugram, currently serves in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, and other major cities.

New Delhi:

Ola Electric, mired in controversies amid a government probe and mounting losses, is set to lay off at least 500 employees as part of a restructuring exercise.

The Bhavish Aggarwal-led electric vehicle (EV) company is trying to boost its operational efficiency by reducing redundancies and “drive profitability”, according to multiple reports. The restructuring exercise will impact employees from several departments, the reports added.

According to an Inc42 report, citing sources, “the aim is to cut expenses to drive profitability and improve margins. There’s no set time period for the completion of the exercise”.

Ola Electric did not immediately comment on layoffs.

The company reported a 43 per cent increase in net loss at Rs 495 crore in the July-September period (Q2 FY25), from Rs 347 crore in the previous quarter (Q1 FY25).

The electric two-wheeler company also saw its revenue slump 26.1 per cent to Rs 1,214 crore (on-quarter) from Rs 1,644 crore in the first quarter of this fiscal. The net loss, however, narrowed on a year-on-year basis.

In the post-quarterly earnings call, Aggarwal said the company’s operating expenses had decreased quarter-on-quarter and that the company will focus on cost efficiencies.

“As we continue to scale distribution, revenue will keep growing while the operating expenses are likely to remain flat or even decline over the next few quarters,” Aggarwal added.

The company also saw its market share plunge to 33 per cent in Q2, down from 49 per cent in the previous quarter.

According to experts, increased competition and service network challenges have impacted Ola Electric’s market dominance.

The shares of Ola Electric continue to slide, more than Rs 38,000 crore worth of investors’ money has been eroded in the company’s stock in just a couple of months.

On Friday, the company’s share was hovering around Rs 67 apiece, way below its market debut price of Rs 76 and more than 56 per cent down from its all-time high of Rs 157.40.

The market cap had reached an all-time high of around Rs 69,000 crore, which has come down to around Rs 31,000 crore.

Several Ola Electric customers have reported problems with software, battery and jammed tyres. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has also ordered a comprehensive probe into the EV company over its consumer complaint redressal practices.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Weeks after a war of words broke out between them over the after-sales and service quality of the company’s electric scooters, stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Monday accepted Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s job offer but with several conditions. In a post on X, where their debate initially began earlier this month, Mr Kamra said he has “no choice” but to accept Mr Aggarwal’s offer to work with OLA.

“After being tagged thousands of times I anyway feel like I am an OLA employee,” he said.

The OLA boss had invited Kunal Kamra to “come and help” them out after the latter flagged the service centre situation of the company’s electric scooters on October 6.

The argument began when Mr Kamra posted an image on X showing a large number of EV scooters being parked at an Ola service centre.

“Do Indian consumers have a voice?  Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers’ lifeline,” the comedian had written.

In response, Bhavish Aggarwal said that it was a “paid tweet”.

“Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon,” he wrote.

Since you care so much @kunalkamra88, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career.

Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding service network fast and backlogs… https://t.co/ZQ4nmqjx5q

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024

Now, Mr Kamra said that the OLA can “seal this collaboration” by committing to various “action points”.

“Ola Electric must stand firm in their commitment to solve their service crisis. OLA must commit to completing all scooter repairs within seven business days from service request at authorised service centres,” he demanded.

He also said that for repairs beyond seven days, “customers will first receive either a temporary replacement scooter or daily conveyance reimbursement of Rs 500 until repair completion”.

“Additionally, customers will earn Rs 500 per delayed day (up to Rs 50,000),” the comedian said.

I have no choice but to accept @bhash‘s offer to work with OLA…
After being tagged thousands of times I anyway feel like I am an OLA employee.
OLA can seal this collaboration by committing to the below action points & looking forward to joining. pic.twitter.com/flqOgIkUo6

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 28, 2024

He also said that every new Ola Electric scooter should be sold with two insurances – one for the vehicle and one for the services.

The service insurance should be free for the customers, Mr Kamra said.

Mr Aggarwal is yet to officially respond to his demands.

Kunal Kamra’s Request To Nitin Gadkari Over Ola Issue

Kunal Kamra on Monday also reshared a post by an X user who alleged that all Ola electric scooters at a service centre in Maharashtra were in “bad condition” and that there were “no qualified engineers or technicians” on-site to look after them.

The comedian requested Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to “look at the plight of Indian customers”.

“Minister Nitin Gadkari please look at the plight of Indian customers, their voices aren’t heard. They can’t get to work. They are taking bad loans to solve an issue that is primarily Ola’s responsibility… When will government agencies intervene?,” Mr Kamra wrote.

Minister @nitin_gadkari please look at the plight of indian customers,
their voices aren’t heard.
They can’t get to work.
They are taking bad loans to solve an issue that is primarily Ola’s responsibility…
When will government agencies intervene? https://t.co/nJYapedavI

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 28, 2024

Last week, Harish Abhichandani, the Chief Financial Officer at Ola Electric, said that 99% of the complaints have been resolved to the “complete satisfaction of the customer as per Ola Electric’s comprehensive redressal mechanism”.

An Ola scooter caught fire outside a showroom of the company in Bengaluru, shows a video, now in wide circulation on social media. In the video, shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain, an Ola scooter is seen on fire on a road right outside the company’s showroom as onlookers make videos. The incident reportedly happened in Bengaluru’s BTM layout locality near Jayadev Hospital. 

Just another fiery day in the life of ola scooter ownerpic.twitter.com/sKADZBZwRB

— Lavanya Ballal Jain (@LavanyaBallal) October 24, 2024

People did not leave a chance to troll Ola for its allegedly faulty scooters. In response to the video, some called OLA CEO Bhavish Aggarwal a “scamster,” while others jokingly called this incident Ola’s “special Diwali feature.”

One user wrote, “That’s Ola’s corporate diwali party” and another asked if Ola was “Preparing for Diwali Dhamaka?”

Ola is already receiving flak for its alleged substandard service to the customers who have bought the company’s scooter. However, yesterday, Ola Electric announced that 99.1% of all customers’ complaints have been resolved to their satisfaction. This came after the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) sent a show-cause notice to the company on October 7 regarding thousands of complaints against their scooters and non-satisfactory resolutions at their service centres. 

Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs had said in a statement, “The CCPA is looking into a large number of complaints about Ola Electric, mainly related to service inefficiencies. We hope the company addresses these concerns promptly and resolves the issues faced by consumers.” 

In response to this notice, Ola Electric’s Chief Financial Officer Harish Abhichandani has said, “We wish to reiterate that Ola Electric has a robust mechanism to address complaints concerning our vehicles. In fact, we want to emphasize that out of the 10,644 complaints we received from the CCPA, 99.1% were resolved to the complete satisfaction of the customer as per Ola Electric’s comprehensive redressal mechanism.”

OLA CEO Bhavish Aggarwal also got into an online spat with comedian Kunal Kamra earlier this month after the latter called out the company’s non-satisfactory customer service and shared a photo of several scooters parked outside an Ola service centre. In response to this, Bhavish Aggarwal told Kunal Kamra to “come and help us out” or “sit quiet” and also called him a “failed” comedian. Kunal Kamra recently reshared on X some posts by customers claiming that Ola has hired bouncers at its customer service centres. 

New Delhi:

RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka on Tuesday took a dig at Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal over his recent spat with comedian Kunal Kamra. Taking to his official X account, Mr Goenka said he uses his Ola if he has to travel from one ‘kamra’ (room) to another.

“If I have to travel close distances, I mean from one ‘kamra’ to another, I use my Ola,” he wrote, tagging Mr Aggarwal and a picture of him sitting on an Ola electric vehicle.
  

If I have to travel close distances, I mean from one ‘kamra’ to another, I use my Ola @bhashpic.twitter.com/wujahVCzR1

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 8, 2024

His ‘kamra’ mention was an apparent reference to the surname of the comedian, who last week was engaged in a heated argument with Mr Aggarwal over the situation of Ola service centres.

The argument began when Mr Kamra took to his official X account and posted an image showing a large number of EV scooters being parked at an Ola service centre.

“Do Indian consumers have a voice?  Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers’ lifeline… Anyone who has an issue with Ola Electric leave your story below tagging all…,” he wrote.

In another post, he responded to a user who said that Ola has a “pathetic service”.

“Worse is the leader has no reply,” Mr Kamra said.

His post, however, irked Bhavish Aggarwal, who said that it was a “paid tweet” and asked Mr Kamra to “come and help” them out.

“Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon,” the Ola boss wrote on X.

Since you care so much @kunalkamra88, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career.

Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding service network fast and backlogs… https://t.co/ZQ4nmqjx5q

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024

Mr Kamra then responded to Mr Aggarwal’s post.

“Paid tweet, failed comedy career, and sit quietly. Indian businessman at their humble best… If you can prove I am paid for the tweet this or anything else I must’ve said against private companies, I’ll delete all social media and sit quietly forever,” he said.

He also tagged a clip of his standup act last year. “On my failed comedy career here’s a clip from last year when I surprised an audience… Anything else you arrogant, substandard, prick.”

On my failed comedy career here’s a clip from last year when I surprised an audience & opened for Grover…
Anything else you arrogant, substandard, prick @bhashpic.twitter.com/e7bQzVcCrT

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 6, 2024

Responding to his tweet, Mr Aggarwal again asked Mr Kamra to come to an Ola service centre.

“Chot lagi? Dard hua? (Did it hurt) Aaja (come to) service centre. Bahut kaam hai (We have a lot of work). I will pay better than your flop shows pay you. Show your audience how much you truly care and whether you’re only gas,” he said.

Kunal Kamra then asked Mr Aggarwal to instead give a “total refund” to anyone who wants to return their Ola EV and who has purchased it in the last four months.

“I don’t need your money. People not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability. Show your customers that you truly care,” he wrote.

Responding to his post, the Ola CEO said they have “enough programs” for their customers if they face service delays.

We have enough programs for our customers if they face service delays. If you were a genuine one, you would have known.

Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism. https://t.co/HFFKgsl7d9

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024

“If you were a genuine one, you would have known. Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism,” he added.

Ola Electric Gets Show Cause Notice

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued a show cause notice to Ola Electric for alleged violation of consumer rights, misleading advertisement and unfair trade practices, according to a regulatory filing by the company. The company received the show cause notice by email on October 7, 2024, it said in the filing.

The show cause notice has been issued by the “Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for alleged violation of consumer rights, misleading advertisement and unfair trade practices”, it added.

The shares of Ola Electric Mobility on Monday had plunged steeply over 8%, down 43% from its post-listing peak, as complaints about its flagship electric two-wheelers kept flooding social media. It was the third straight session the EV maker declined.

Ola Electric, which made its stock market debut about two months ago, sold 23,965 vehicles in September, recording a month-on-month decline for the second consecutive month.

Its falling month-on-month sales have seen its market share decline for five straight months to 27% in September, from over 50% in April, according to the data.

The drop in sales comes amid scores of Ola Electric’s flagship S1 series EV scooters reportedly facing issues like malfunctioning hardware and glitching software.

The shares of Ola Electric Mobility plunged steeply over 8% this morning, down 43% from its post-listing peak, as complaints about its flagship electric two-wheelers kept flooding social media. This is the third straight session the EV maker declined.

The latest Ola stock crash comes after a public spat between founder Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra after the latter flagged the situation of its service centres.

Mr Kamra had called out Mr Aggarwal for not responding to the situation while the irked Ola founder started slamming the comedian over “failed comedy career” and “flop shows”.

Mr Aggarwal said it was a “paid tweet” by Mr Kamra, and he should either help them or “sit quiet”.

The spat took an ugly turn with him inviting Mr Kamra to an Ola service station for work and offering him better pay than his shows while Mr Kamra kept pressing for him for 100% refund to aggrieved Ola customers.

The argument divided the social media with many finding it wrong to go after the wealth creators. Another section, however, found it distasteful for a company executive to engage in such spats while his firm was fighting a crisis.

A social media user called it “peak arrogance” of Mr Aggarwal for trolling a comedian while his company was facing the customers’ wrath over delayed servicing.

“Ola EV Customers in Karnataka setting Ola Showroom on fire for not servicing their vehicle since month meanwhile their CEO Bhavish Aggarwal is busy trolling Kunal Kamra for bringing facts in public, Peak Arrogance,” the user said.

Ola Electric debuted in the share market two months ago. Government data suggests the company recorded its lowest monthly sales in September this year as servicing network challenges threaten its market dominance.

The company sold 23,965 vehicles in September – recording a month-on-month decline in sales amid complaints over the malfunctioning hardware and glitching software in some of its EV scooters.

New Delhi:

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra were today engaged in a heated spat after the latter flagged the service centre situation of the company’s electric scooters.

The argument began when Mr Kamra took to his official X account and posted an image showing a large number of EV scooters being parked at an Ola service centre.

“Do Indian consumers have a voice?  Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers’ lifeline… Anyone who has an issue with Ola Electric leave your story below tagging all…,” he wrote.

In another post, he responded to a user who said that Ola has a “pathetic service”.

“Worse is the leader has no reply,” Mr Kamra said.

His post, however, irked Bhavish Aggarwal, who said that it was a “paid tweet” and asked Mr Kamra to “come and help” them out.

“Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon,” the Ola boss wrote on X.

Since you care so much @kunalkamra88, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career.

Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding service network fast and backlogs… https://t.co/ZQ4nmqjx5q

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024

Mr Kamra then responded to Mr Aggarwal’s post.

“Paid tweet, failed comedy career, and sit quietly. Indian businessman at their humble best… If you can prove I am paid for the tweet this or anything else I must’ve said against private companies, I’ll delete all social media and sit quietly forever,” he said.

He also tagged a clip of his standup act last year. “On my failed comedy career here’s a clip from last year when I surprised an audience… Anything else you arrogant, substandard, prick.”

On my failed comedy career here’s a clip from last year when I surprised an audience & opened for Grover…
Anything else you arrogant, substandard, prick @bhashpic.twitter.com/e7bQzVcCrT

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 6, 2024

Responding to his tweet, Mr Aggarwal again asked Mr Kamra to come to an Ola service centre.

“Chot lagi? Dard hua? (Did it hurt) Aaja (come to) service centre. Bahut kaam hai (We have a lot of work). I will pay better than your flop shows pay you. Show your audience how much you truly care and whether you’re only gas,” he said.

Kunal Kamra then asked Mr Aggarwal to instead give a “total refund” to anyone who wants to return their Old EV and who has purchased it in the last four months.

“I don’t need your money. People not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability. Show your customers that you truly care,” he wrote.

Responding to his post, the Old CEO said they have “enough programs” for their customers if they face service delays.

We have enough programs for our customers if they face service delays. If you were a genuine one, you would have known.

Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism. https://t.co/HFFKgsl7d9

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024

“If you were a genuine one, you would have known. Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism,” he added.

Ola Electric’s Dominance Fading?

Ola Electric logged its lowest monthly sales this year in September, government data showed, as it saw its dominance fading due to servicing network challenges.

Ola Electric, which made its stock market debut about two months ago, sold 23,965 vehicles in September, recording a month-on-month decline for the second consecutive month.

Its falling month-on-month sales have seen its market share decline for five straight months to 27% in September, from over 50% in April, according to the data.

The drop in sales comes amid scores of Ola Electric’s flagship S1 series EV scooters reportedly facing issues like malfunctioning hardware and glitching software.