'Boycott PhonePe' trends after CEO's remarks against now-stalled jobs quota bill

Bengaluru: In an unexpected turn of events, a section of Kannada speakers are now rallying on social media platforms to boycott payment application PhonePe, after CEO Sameer Nigam criticised the now-halted Karnataka jobs quota bill earlier this week.

Pro-Kannada activists trended the hashtag #BoycottPhonePe and #UninstallPhonePe on X (formerly Twitter), which called for Kannada speakers to uninstall the app and not use it to make digital payments.

Nigam voiced his opinion about the draft bill, criticising its message and implying that it was unfair. “I am 46 years old. Never lived in a state for 15+ yrs. My father worked in the Indian Navy. Got posted all over the country. His kids don’t deserve jobs in Karnataka? I build companies. Have created 25000+ jobs across India! My kids don’t deserve jobs in their home city? Shame" -- he posted initially.

Several X users took offense to his remarks, calling Nigam's statements as being "against the interests of Karnataka" and rallying for other users to boycott the PhonePe application and use other alternatives.

When DH reached out, PhonePe representatives noted that there was "no official comment".