‘What About Paytm?’ Twitter Abuzz After India Bans Chinese Apps

Social media users have called out the government for being silent on Paytm, in which Alibaba has a 40% stake.

Founded by Indian entrepreneur Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm is owned by Sharma’s One97 Communications.

(Photo: Twitter/@Paytm)

Hours after the Indian government announced a ban on 59 Chinese mobile apps on Monday, 29 June, including TikTok, UC Browser and others, social media users have questioned the government’s silence on Paytm, a popular e-payment app that has substantial Chinese investment.

Founded by Indian entrepreneur Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm is owned by Sharma’s One97 Communications. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba owns a reported 40% in One97 Communications.

The government order stated that the apps were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order."

However, Sharma, tweeted out his support of the government’s decision causing users to question his support, when Alibaba owned Ant Financial has pumped in millions of dollars over the years. The Chinese conglomerate also reportedly owns about 40% of online marketplace Paytm mall.

While some have hailed the move as a “digital air strike,” legal and cyber policy analysts seek greater clarity on the legal process backing this decision and have questioned the tenuous justification of privacy and security that has been offered.

The Congress party had earlier reportedly condemned the BJP government for accepting funds to PM-CARES from Chinese companies.

Twitter users also listed a number of other Indian startups, that have Chinese funding, calling on the givernment to act on them too.

‘Time to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is’

(With inputs from The Economic Times and NDTV)