Swiggy, one of the leading food delivery apps in India, has decided to remove its latest 'Holi egg' billboards following backlash from users over the advertisement.
๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ถ
The billboards, which featured eggs, contained the message "Omelette; Sunny side-up; Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart", implying that eggs should be eaten and not used to playfully hit someone's head during the Holi festival.
The ad quickly spread on Twitter and other social media platforms with the hashtag #HinduPhobicSwiggy. While some users argued that they should be allowed to celebrate Holi as they please, others expressed support for the message of not wasting food.
๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ด๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น
Radharaman Das, Vice-President of ISCKON, tweeted slamming the food delivery company: "Swiggy starts campaign to give Hindus gyan on Holi. Starts massive ad campaign with hashtag: #BuraMatKhelo. Same company @Swiggy is also famous for sending non-veg items to some of their customers who are staunch vegetarians & had ordered veg items: Swiggy #BuraMatBhejo"
Youtuber Elvish Yadav wrote: "The recent Billboard advertisement of @Swiggy is a clear attempt to defame Holi & create a negative perception among people. The lack of similar Ads for non-Hindu festivals shows a clear bias. Show some sensitivity and Apologize to Hindu community."
Another Twitter user wrote, "It has become a trend to attack Hindu festivals by these brands."
Twitter user Yogi Devnath also slammed Swiggy. "Hey @swiggy, it's not okay to give selective gyan on Hindu festivals. Your Holi reel & Billboard is creating a wrong perception about Holi. You must apologize and take steps to promote cultural inclusivity," he said.
Swiggy opted to remove the Holi billboards amidst the heated debate and departure of multiple users from the app.
Nonetheless, some users voiced their backing of the advertisement, stating that it promoted a positive message of preventing food wastage. One user opined that the advertisement was beneficial and should be upheld.
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