Swiggy was bearing the brunt of a section of social media users for their alleged Hinduphobia advertisement. The food delivery application put up billboards and ran a campaign, urging people to not throw eggs while celebrating Holi.
The advertisement said, “Omelette – Sunny side-up – Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart.
The Billboards, which were only placed in the Delhi-NCR region, have been taken down by Swiggy after the ‘outrage’ online.
बस इतना सा ‘बवाल’ है। #Swiggy pic.twitter.com/ky2okDDEq9
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) March 7, 2023
A picture of the billboard was put online by a few users, which led to the beginning of the #HinduphobicSwiggy trend on Twitter India.
It was not just the usual Twitter users who raised the issue, but also presidents and the leaders belonging to right-wing organisations.
“Hey Swiggy, it’s not okay to give selective gyan on Hindu festivals. Your Holi reel and Billboard is creating a wrong perception about Holi. You must apologize and take steps to promote cultural inclusivity.” wrote the former president of the Kutch Sant Samaj.
Baapre… How much loss incurred to #Swiggy ? pic.twitter.com/mSKd7nVm5X
— Брат (@B5001001101) March 7, 2023
“Hey, Swiggy, why don’t you give a similar gyan on Eid/Christmas? Afraid of the Sar Tan Se Juda gang? Since you serve diverse communities, it’s important for you to learn to respect all religions. Remove your Holi ads.” said Sadhvi Prachi, Vishva Hindu Parishad Leader.
What wrong with you #Swiggy ?
No one asked you for your opinions. #HinduPhobicSwiggy pic.twitter.com/bWmMHhxm3Y— Gaurav Nigam (@drgauravnigam1) March 7, 2023
Not the first time…
In the last few years, several other brands have been at the receiving end of the Indian Right Wing for their alleged attack on Hindu Religion.
The likes FabIndia, Tanishq, Manyavar, Dabur, and Surf Excel are the other few brands that went on trend because of their ad campaign.
Dear @Swiggy I am done with you as am uninstalling this app & also insisting My friends & family to uninstall it.
As you fired a guy who refused to deliver a mutton into the temple premises.
Kudos to the delivery boy 👦 Proud off you.#boycottswiggy #Swiggy pic.twitter.com/3mYigphYtN
— Manjunath_P (@group_mvm) March 7, 2023
In an ad that was released on Diwali, 2023, actors Aamir Khan and Kiara Advani were shown changing the traditional gender roles in a Hindu-styled marriage. The AU Bank added the tagline of ‘Badlaav Humse Hai’ in the ad to promote feminist sentiments. It received major backlash online for its “latent messaging”.
