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:

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”.

New Delhi:

Comedian Kunal Kamra, who has been in a feud with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal over its electric scooters, is now requesting Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to “look at the plight of Indian customers”. For a couple of weeks, Mr Kamra has been flagging the state of Ola’s service centers where electric scooters are lined up with complaints.

In the latest turn of events, Mr Kamra took it to X (formerly Twitter) and reshared a post by user Prathamesh Daga who alleged that all scooters at Rangraj Nagar, Solapur centre are in bad condition and there are no qualified engineers or technicians in site to look after them.

“Customers invest hard earned money. Unacceptable,” wrote the user. Sharing the video, Mr Kamra tagged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, asking for government interference in the matter.

“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?”

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

Kunal Kamra has been engaged in a heated spat with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, regularly asking him to look after Ola Electric scooters. Once he even asked him to provide a “total refund” to anyone who wants to return their Ola EV and who has purchased it in the last four months.

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

It all started on October 6 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.

His post, however, didn’t go well with Bhavish Aggarwal, who called it a “paid tweet” and asked Mr Kamra to “come and help” them out.

READ | “Sit Quiet”: Bhavish Aggarwal As Kunal Kamra Flags Ola EV Issue

“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.

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

To this, Mr Kamra asked the remaining 1% who are still facing an issue with their Ola Electric, to share their stories.

In the past few months, people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the substandard service of Ola EV. While one customer set fire to a service station, another warned potential buyers. Nisha Gowri, a Bengaluru resident, placed a placard on her Ola electric scooter, that read, “Dear Kannadigas, Ola is a useless two-wheeler. If you buy one, it will only make your life harder. Please do not buy an Ola Electric scooter.”

The post, shared on X, quickly gained attention and sparked a debate about the quality and service of Ola Electric scooters.

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.

Mumbai:

The central government’s attempt to set up a fact-checking unit has been struck down by the Bombay High Court after standup comic Kunal Kamra filed a petition against the Centre’s move.

Justice AS Chandurkar said the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, which empowers the Centre to set up fact-check units (FCUs) for identifying fake news online, went against Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution.

“I have considered the matter extensively. The impugned rules are violative of Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” Justice Chandurkar said, and struck down the proposed IT amendments.

The expression “fake, false and misleading” in the IT Rules was “vague and hence wrong” in the absence of any definition, he added.

The case had gone to a third judge after a division bench of the Bombay High Court in January delivered a split verdict in this matter.

The split verdict in January was delivered by a division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale. While Justice Patel struck down the Rules, Justice Gokhale upheld them. Justice Patel had said the Rules amounted to censorship, but Justice Gokhale had said they did not have any “chilling effect” on free speech as argued.

It was the third judge’s verdict that came today.

In March, the Supreme Court stayed a notification by the Centre announcing the operational status of its official fact-check unit (FCU). The Supreme Court had said the Centre can’t go ahead until the Bombay High Court decides on the constitutionality of the matter.

Kunal Kamra and other petitioners had said the amendments would put unreasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.

The petitioners said the provision would lead to government-led censorship online and empower it to be the “prosecutor, the judge, and in that loose sense, the executioner” of what constitutes the ‘truth’ online.