IT giant Accenture chief Rama Ramachandran has decided to opt out of next month’s RSS meet following backlash on social media. The RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP, has issued a revised list of guests for its planned event, billed as Resurgent Bharath, excluding Ramachandran’s name.
Meanwhile, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has said that he will not change his mind despite outrage on Twitter. He tweeted, “I don’t decide my views based on Twitter attacks. If you dislike which events I attend, please do what your conscience dictates and I will do what mine dictates. We earn our daily bread due to our work and we will continue to do quality work. I won’t be responding to attacks.”
I don’t decide my views based on Twitter attacks. If you dislike which events I attend, please do what your conscience dictates and I will do what mine dictates. We earn our daily bread due to our work and we will continue to do quality work. I won’t be responding to attacks.
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) January 6, 2020
Reacting to criticism on Twitter, Ramachandran had said that he had no affiliation with the RSS and was unaware of how his name featured in the list of speakers for the event. He wrote, “I am not sure how this misunderstanding happened, but I have no affiliation with this group and never agreed to speak at or attend this event.”
I am not sure how this misunderstanding happened, but I have no affiliation with this group and never agreed to speak at or attend this event.
— Rama S. Ramachandran (@RamaAccenture) January 6, 2020
The RSS event is scheduled to be held in Chennai on 2 February. Twitterati had reacted angrily calling for the boycott of the companies headed by those attending the RSS event. One user wrote, “People if you do business with @zoho @zohosocial @zohocrm , you are funding RSS. People if you do business with @Accenture , you are funding RSS. You are funding fascists in India.”
Another user wrote, “As someone who works on compliance , i advise people to think twice before using @zoho products. Because RSS can go any extreme to get valuable data and @zoho might help them. This is why we need to #BoycottZoho.”