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.
𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗴𝗴𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗴𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶
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.
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗹
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.
