India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman blamed the change in the mindset of millennials for the slowdown in the auto sector. At a recent press conference, Sitharaman said that the millennials in the country prefer cab aggregators and ride-hailing services such as Ola and Uber, rather than “committing to buying an automobile.” Her statement made a Twitter warfare and soon social media users began to trend #SayItLikeNirmala and #BoycottMillennials. Now, who are these millennials? Why is the hashtag #BoycottMillennials trending? If you are wondering why it is one of the top trending hashtags on Twitter, social media has the answer for you. Nirmala Sitharaman Blames Millenials’ Mindset for Auto Slowdown, Says They Prefer Uber, Ola Over Buying Vehicles. 

Who Are Millennials?

Millennials are also known as Generation Y or the Net Generation. They are the demographic cohort, following Generation X (born between the 1960s to early 80s) and preceding Generation Z (born in mid-90s to early 2000s). Hence, people born between the 80s and mid-90s are called Millennials. The characteristics of millennials vary by region and by the individual, but they are generally marked by their coming of age in the Information Age and comfortability in using digital technologies and social media.

Why is #BoycottMillennials Trending on Social Media?

#BoycottMillennials are trending on social media, after Finance Minister blamed the millennials for taking Ola and Uber rides over buying an automobile. “Automobile sector, in particular, has been affected by several things. These include BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) movement, the registration fee issue that has been deferred till June and the mindset of millennials, who are now preferring not to commit EMIs to buying automobiles but prefer to use Ola or Uber or take the metro,” says Sitharaman.

Here's the Tweet:

The youth in India are tired of this ‘millennial blaming’ ideology. Growing up, kids have only heard, ‘these generation kids’ and their evil ways to get things done. And now this! Are millennials actually to be blamed for the downfall in the auto sector? Or for everything that goes wrong across the world? Well, social media users seem to get bored with the blame game scene, occurring every hour. Hence, unanimously, they began an online revolution, with the hashtag, #BoycottMillennials in a way they are best at—creating ironic memes and jokes. The trend is basically to blame the youth in India, well for everything.

Days Are Not Far for the Government to Come With It!

A Tax Rate for That Too? 

So, Apt!

Maybe, You Are

LOL

Bittersweet Moment, Is It?

On a serious note, the automobile industry registered a fall in the sales in August as well as all significant players reported a severe decline in their own sales. They are reeling from one of the worst slowdowns in the history of the industry. Tata Motors reported a 49 percent slump in domestic sales, while Maruti Suzuki India reported a 32.7 percent decline in its vehicle sales in the previous month YoY. The troubled auto industry even requested for a cut in a GST rate from 28 percent to 18 percent, which the Finance Minister is yet to respond.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2019 10:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).