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Ola gets caught in social media debate over free speech

Does the driver have the right to call you anti-national?

New Delhi: Ride hailing platform Ola found itself in the midst of a social media storm Friday over an politically charged conversation between a passenger and a driver.

A passenger posted on Twitter details of his conversation with the driver and added the suggestion to Ola to ensure that its "drivers focus on driving rather than overhearing conversations and tagging people as anti-nationals".

Ola responded to his tweets and said it has reported the 'driver-partner' for corrective action.

Following this, a hashtag #BoycottOla started trending with as many Twitter users supporting the driver's right to his opinion. Well over 4,700 tweets with #BoycottOla were shared on Twitter.

Thereafter, Ola sent out another tweet saying: "We are respectful of all personal views and like India's democratic values, encourage healthy exchange of thoughts.

"None of the parties involved in this case has been penalised from using the platform and we urge everyone to respect difference of opinion at all times," it added.

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