If rubbing salt into wounds could have a physical manifestation, it would be this tweet.
Reliance Jio has been the bane of the entire telecom industry ever since it launched in September last year. During its launch, Mukesh Ambani’s 45 minute speech had cost Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea an estimated Rs. 13,800 crore in market cap. Thanks to its free data plans, Airtel’s profit fell 55% this quarter. And Idea was so impacted that it’s now considering a merger with Vodafone to stay relevant.
Yet Jio, tongue firmly in cheek, wished all three companies a Happy Valentines Day on Twitter.
Dear @airtelindia, @VodafoneIN, @ideacellular, Happy Valentine’s Day. #WithLoveFromJio
— Reliance Jio (@reliancejio) February 14, 2017
Whoever said love hurts knew what they were talking about.
The tweet quickly went viral, and has been retweeted over 3,000 times. Twitter users too didn’t miss the irony.
.@reliancejio This is like stealing people's GF & wishing them the best for future. @airtelindia @VodafoneIN @ideacellular #WithLoveFromJio
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) February 14, 2017
. @reliancejio wishing happy Valentine's Day to Anti Romeo squad @airtelindia @VodafoneIN @ideacellular #WithLoveFromJio
— ट्रोल (@indiantweeter) February 14, 2017
.@reliancejio stolen @airtelindia @VodafoneIN and @ideacellular's GF and now having a conference call with them for free ? #WithLoveFromJio
— ️ (@FarziCricketer) February 14, 2017
Looks like coz of @reliancejio the three @airtelindia @VodafoneIN @ideacellular are single this Valentine's day…#WithLoveFromJio
— Babu Bhaiya (@Shahrcasm) February 14, 2017
And Love is always Unlimited & Free without any conditions ! #WithLoveFromJio @airtelindia @VodafoneIN @ideacellular @BSNLCorporate https://t.co/rJ33SAWQou
— Umesh Upadhyay (@upadhyayumesh) February 14, 2017
This isn’t the first time Jio has so needled a competitor on Twitter – when Amitabh Bachchan had complained about his Vodafone connection, Jio’s twitter had helpfully stepped in, and offered its own services instead.
Airtel, Idea and Vodafone though are yet to respond to Jio’s overtures, but Jio shouldn’t exactly be holding its breath. This is a love affair that’s very much likely to be one sided.
Update: Reliance Jio has been friendzoned by Airtel. “Same feels Reliance Jio, after all har ek friend zaroori hota hai,” it tweeted in response. Damn, this is not a good day for love.
Same feels @reliancejio! After all #HarEkFriendZarooriHotaHai ? @VodafoneIN @ideacellular
— airtel India (@airtelindia) February 14, 2017