If you think unemployment hasn’t taken its toll on the Indian youth then you’re wrong. And in case of Twitter’s right wing, the toll is too stupid to be ignored.
This Friday, jewellery maker Tanishq released an ad that featured a girl of Hindu faith getting ready for the ritual of baby shower into what it seems to a Muslim household. There’s nothing wrong with this advertisement. Interfaith marriages aren’t uncommon in India.
But Twitter’s boycott wing is furious. How dare Tanishq promote a secular ad in a country ruled by a Hindu nationalist government? So, on a fine Monday afternoon, #BoycottTanishq started trending on Twitter.
One user ‘TRUTH prevails’ connected this to Deepika, and Tanishq’s possible connection to ‘drug mafia’:
● Accused Drug addicts are brand ambassador
— TRUTH prevails (@PhchemP) October 12, 2020
● Worst in customer service and poor over the counter experience
● This brand not only support anti sentiments but also known to make memorable experience into worst experience
#BoycottTanishq pic.twitter.com/WK0OtC4Y6a
Hardik Bhavsar, on the other hand, has never seen a Muslim daughter-in-law, ever:
Why i see Hindu daughter in law everywhere….why dont you show Muslim daughter in law anywhere.#BoycottTanishq
— Hardik Bhavsar (@Bittu_Tufani) October 12, 2020
Right wing propaganda website Opindia straight up connected the ad to recent murders that are still unconfirmed if took place on religious grounds:
Others called it promotion of ‘love Jihad’:
This is Bizarre, highly objectionable and normalising #LoveJihad I want to know who directed this Ad and who wrote ? Pull this AD down #BoycottTanishq https://t.co/TNl44KJ0DC
— Geetha Kothapalli (@Geethak_MP) October 12, 2020
Tanishq jewellery's 'Ekatvam' series' ad projects a fictional 'interfaith' union, a Muslim family, a Hindu daughter-in-law being allowed to do a Hindu ritual.
— Sanjay Dixit ಸಂಜಯ್ ದೀಕ್ಷಿತ್ संजय दीक्षित (@Sanjay_Dixit) October 12, 2020
Nothing but promotion of love jihad on the same day Rahul Rajput was killed #BoycottTanishq https://t.co/QD46Sa32fB
