Fem’s Karwa Chauth campaign will be removed from social media handles, according to Dabur.
They express regret for hurting people’s feelings unintentionally by removing the add.
Consumer goods major Dabur is the latest to flinch in the face of online criticism and veiled threats from BJP politicians, following jewellery brand Tanishq last year and apparel labels Manyavar and Fabindia this year.
The company dropped advertising for Karwa Chauth on Tuesday, which praised inclusivity, equality, and a progressive perspective of marriage but also sparked a barrage of criticism, including a critical reaction from Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra. This week’s controversy over Dabur’s ad was highlighted by a surprising statement from Madhya Pradesh’s Home Minister.
“In the future, they will show two men taking feras” (marrying each other according to Hindu rites),” Mishra said of Dabur’s ad depicting “lesbians celebrating Karwa Chauth.”
Police had been told to order the corporation to remove the advertisement, he said.
Dabur’s attack comes only days after Fabindia, another worldwide successful business that exemplifies the government’s “made in India” ethos, was chastised for branding their collection “Jashn-e-Riwaaz.
Tejasvi Surya, a BJP MP from Karnataka, was the mastermind of the attack.
