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Day after Tanishq showroom in Gandhidham apologised for controversial ad, ‘ecosystem’ created a ‘Hindu mob attacked showroom’ narrative

OpIndia Staff
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Day after Tanishq showroom in Gandhidham apologised for controversial ad, ‘ecosystem’ created a ‘Hindu mob attacked showroom’ narrative

Day after Tanishq showroom in Gandhidham, Kutch in Gujarat apologised to Hindus for the controversial advertisement glorifying ‘love jihad’, the ecosystem has come together to build a narrative that the showroom was ‘attacked’ by a ‘mob’ and the owners ‘forced’ to put up apology. It all started when NDTV, the grand-daddy of narration building for Congress ecosystem published a ‘breaking news’ that the Gandhidham showroom was ‘attacked’.

NDTV tweet

In the article published few minutes after this ‘breaking news’, cited no one and had no details about the ‘attack’.

Original story of NDTV

A few minutes later, NDTV put up a video wherein one of NDTV’s employees claimed that a ‘mob attack’ took place on 12th evening, the day social media users were angered with the advertisement.

NDTV mob attack

NDTV claimed the manager was forced to write a written apology for the advertisement. All this while, NDTV does not name anyone but attributes all the allegations to ‘sources’.

However, minutes after the first tweet went viral, Twitter user Dr Neel shared an audio clip wherein he talked to the manager of the showroom that NDTV alleged was ‘attacked’ by a ‘mob’.

Dr Neel talks to the Tanishq showroom manager who categorically denies being attacked by anyone. One can hear people in the background talking in Gujarati on how someone is videographing the showroom. The person handling the showroom himself was unaware of the alleged ‘mob attack’ on the showroom. He later denied how there was no attack and thanked Dr Neel.

OpIndia tried to call up Tanishq showroom in Gandhidham but could not get through. We shall update the story once we manage to get in touch with them.

Amusingly, soon after NDTV’s story was published, various propaganda outlets picked up the story. The Kashmirwalla cited NDTV’s dubious report to claim that a mob attacked the Tanishq showroom.

Tanishq attacked

Various media houses picked up this report by NDTV.

An Indian Express report cites unknown Tanishq showroom employee and claims that a ‘mob’ of 120 people gathered near the showroom and some hurled abuses at the staff. “They said they were Hindus and wouldn’t tolerate such ads. We told them that the ad was just meant to promote our jewellery business and nothing else and that the Gandhidham showroom had not issued it but that it was a decision of the company. We told them that we, too, are Hindus. But they didn’t listen to us,” the Indian Express cites an unnamed ’employee’ of Tanishq showroom.

Clearly, Indian Express needs a masterclass in spreading misinformation from NDTV. See how they are not even trying to be subtle to make Hindus appear intolerant. “They said they were Hindus and wouldn’t tolerate such ads” and “we told them that we, too, are Hindus” is a conversation that clearly happened. <sarcasm>

However, as the conversation of Dr Neel shows, the Tanishq showroom employees at Kutch’s Gandhidham were absolutely clueless about the ‘mob attack’. Now, here is where things get interesting.

After the exposé by Dr Neel, NDTV has quietly watered down its mega claims of ‘mob attack’.

Here are three different headlines of NDTV in past two hours:

NDTV’s first headline

For story updated at 12:59, NDTV claimed that Tanishq store was ‘attacked’

NDTV’s second headline

An hour later, the ‘mob attack’ became ‘mob pastes apology note’.

Third headline

And finally, in the third headline, the ‘mob attack’ was watered down to ‘threat call’.

Later, the Kutch Police has also clarified that there was no attack on the showroom.

So first, NDTV created a narrative of showroom being attacked, which was widely picked up by media and social media users, screenshots shared, and people made to believe ‘Hindus intolerant of inter-faith marriage ads’. But when lies are exposed, they quietly go from ‘mob attack’ to ‘threat calls’.

A new low, even by NDTV standards.

After ‘love jihad’ ad, Tanishq faces allegations of selling jewellery not approved by BIS

OpIndia Staff
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After ‘love jihad’ ad, Tanishq faces allegations of selling jewellery not approved by BIS

Amid the Tanishq ad controversy, netizens are digging problems with the brand itself. A twitter thread is going viral that states Tanishq does not sell BIS approved jewellery with hallmark. The twitter user also alleged that the gold price at Tanishq outlets is higher than the market price and they charge hefty deductions in exchange for non-Tanishq jewellery.

What is BIS Hallmark certification?

BIS Hallmark is a certificate that allows the customer to assess the pureness of the gold and silver products. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), that is a national quality organization, issues the certificate. It is a confirmation that the piece of gold that the customer is buying meets the requirements laid down by BIS.

It has five elements. The first element is the BIS Standard mark that is a triangular mark indicating that an independent assessor has evaluated the product. It is verified by the laboratories approved by BIS. The second element is Purity Grade, which is determined via the Karats and Fineness Number. In its natural form, 24 Karat, the purest form of Gold, is too soft to make jewelry. Thus, other metals like Zinc or Silver are added to it to make durable jewelry. Purity Grade determines the number of other metals mixed in the Gold piece.

The third element is Hallmarking Centre’s Mark that helps trace it back to the original seller in case any inconsistencies occur. The fourth element is the Year of Marking that is marked by a letter of code. The fifth and the last element is the Jeweler’s mark that is unique to the jeweller or the manufacturer of the jewellery. Each BIS approved or accredited jeweller has a unique logo that is embedded on the ornament.

Hallmarking will be mandatory from 2021

As per the reports, the Bureau of Indian Standards announced in November 2019 that Hallmarking would be mandatory from January 2021. A notification was to be issued in this regard in January 2020. On 14th January, Late Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan announced that the jewellers could only sell 14, 18, and 22 Karat gold jewellery with Hallmark from 15th January 2021. Anyone in violation will face penalties or imprisonment or both.

Tanishq does not have BIS licence

As of now, Tanishq’s name is not in the BIS licensed jewellers’ list. The current list [PDF] has then names of 25838 jewellers across the country, but it does not include Tanishq or Titan. When one buys something from Tanishq, the company provides a certificate of authentication by Titan, the parent company. In every showroom, they claim to have Karatmeter installed where the buyer can confirm the purity of the ornament. According to the rule, if the company wants to continue selling gold ornaments, it has to get BIS certification before 15th January 2021.

Tanishq ad controversy

Tanishq is facing strong criticism from the Hindu community for posting an ad that allegedly promotes ‘Love Jihad.’ In the video, a Hindu woman’s baby shower was being celebrated by his Muslim in-laws. The Muslim community, in general, does not celebrate “god bharai” like Hindus. After the backlash, Tanishq pulled out the ad and posted a half-hearted ‘apology’ sort of message on its social media account, stating they pulled out the ad as they were concerned about the safety of their employees.

Indirectly, Tanishq called the Hindu community a violent one that can damage its showrooms and harm its employees across the country. On the other hand, the showroom owners across the country who are selling Tanishq jewelry pasted apology notes on their shops condemning the ad.

Mumbai Police issues show-cause notice to Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami over his alleged communal remarks on Palghar Sadhu lynching case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police issues show-cause notice to Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami over his alleged communal remarks on Palghar Sadhu lynching case

The tussle between Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and Mumbai Police continues as the latter opened yet another front against the journalist. In the latest attack on the media network, the Mumbai Police has issued a show-cause notice to the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief under Section 108 of CrPC citing his alleged communal comments on Palghar mob lynching of Sadhus.

The show-cause notice is issued by Assistant police commissioner Sudhir Jambavdekar, in his capacity as special executive magistrate, to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami asking him why he should not be asked to execute a bond of good behaviour. In case he violates the bond, he would have to pay a penalty of Rs 10 lakh. Goswami has been asked to appear before the ACP on October 16.

Goswami is issued the show-cause notice under Section 108(1)(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which empowers an executive magistrate to issue a show-cause notice on why a person accused of offences against public peace should not be ordered to execute a bond, with or without sureties, for his good behaviour for a period not exceeding one year.

Notice issued in the light of two FIRs against Arnab Goswami

The notice was issued on the heels of offences registered against the Republic TV editor-in-chief under Sections 153A and 153B of the Indian Penal Code for purported violation of public tranquility and “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.”

The notice includes the details of the two FIRs lodged against Goswami. The first one claims that the journalist made incendiary remarks on April 21 regarding the Palghar lynching case and thereby incited communal hatred. The second FIR cited in the notice mentions the coverage of his channel regarding a massive crowd gathered outside Bandra station on April 14 in the midst of lockdown. The notice said that the news attempted to drive a wedge between communities.

Arnab Goswami and Mumbai Police at loggerheads with each other

Mumbai Police and Arnab Goswami are at loggerheads with each other ever since the latter referred to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi with her maiden name “Antonio Maino” while questioning her silence on the Palghar lynching case. Since then, Arnab has been embroiled into protracted legal wrangling, with many FIRs filed against him and the police putting him through the wringer for more than 11 hours.

More recently, Republic TV was named in a press conference by Mumbai Police which alleged the organisation of indulging in TRP manipulation. However, the police were exposed when the complaint filed against TRP manipulation did not mention Republic TV and instead had India Today in it. Following the exposure, Mumbai police is actively trying to burry the case against India Today, and has been summoning Republic officials to know where they obtained the documents that exposed the lie of Mumbai police.

Maharashtra: Police officials cut cake and celebrate birthday of history-sheeter in police station, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Police officials cut cake and celebrate birthday of history-sheeter in police station, video goes viral

Mumbai police have been making headlines for not very good reasons of late. The latest addition to this is a video that has been doing rounds on social media. In the video shared by News 24 on Twitter, some cops of Mumbai police can be seen celebrating the birthday of a man said to be a history-sheeter.

The cops can be seen cutting a cake and singing “Happy Birthday to You” for the criminal smiling ear to ear in front of the camera for pictures. “Ae photo le re” (Hey, click a picture), one of the cops tells the man holding the camera. The cops and the criminal then shared the cake and appeared very delighted.

According to reports, the incident happened in Vasai Virar police station near Mumbai. Following the video surfaced on social media, an inquiry has been ordered by senior police officials of the police station.

Maharashtra Police has a History of celebrating Birthdays of Criminals

This is not the first time that Maharashtra police has celebrated the birthday of a criminal. Last year, two police sub-inspectors and three constables were suspended for celebrating the birthday of a history-sheeter. The cops were reportedly celebrating the birthday of a criminal named Ayaan Khan alias Ulla. Khan was booked in two cases of abduction and assault. He came to Bhandup police station with his supporters and a birthday cake and a video of the celebrations was made which went viral.

Tanishq controversy: Secularism takes a bizarre turn as smashing patriarchy takes a backseat

OpIndia Staff
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Tanishq controversy: Secularism takes a bizarre turn as smashing patriarchy takes a backseat

Amidst the controversy surrounding the Tanishq Jewellery’s advertisement that was accused by many as a shoddy attempt to promote subtle ‘love jihad’ and its subsequent efforts to make amends by removing the advertisement, social media is replete with posts that broaden the horizon of ‘secularism’ and shifts its blame entirely on Hindus.

A Twitter user uploaded a picture of a comment made by one of her friends on her Tanishq Jewellery post. In her comment, the lady, who had tested positive for the coronavirus, ranted against her Hindu neighbours for escaping to their hometowns and not being there for her husband and son to provide them with cooked meals. 

“You know I am COVID-19 positive and my old mother-in-law cannot cook and my husband and son have never entered the kitchen…so there is no one to cook food because society is sealed and maids are forbidden from coming inside…Now all my Hindu neighbours who were my close friends have gone to their hometowns not thinking how I will manage the situation,” the lady said in her comment.

She further adds that it was her Muslim maid who provided her family of four with cooked food for the last 12 days.

There are multiple issues in the lady’s argument. While “smashing the patriarchy” trope is in vogue these days, with most of the ‘liberals’ vociferously supporting it, it evidently takes a back seat as the social media user appears unapologetic in pigeonholing her family members on the basis of their gender. She asserts that her husband and son cannot cook food because they have never entered kitchen which implies that cooking food is the remit of the women in the house. 

Secondly and more broadly, the lady is holding Hindu neighbours around her accountable for her food crisis. One of the primitive instincts of living beings facing a mortal threat is self-preservation. It was but natural that neighbours around her may gone into panic when they found emergence of COVID-19 cases around them. In a bid to safeguard themselves against coronavirus, which has proven to be both highly contagious and potentially life threatening, the neighbours around her chose to safeguard themselves and bolt away to their escape hatches. 

However, the social media user’s grouse with her Hindu neighbours was that they chose to save their lives over waiting in the society and cater to her food requirements. In doing so, she gave it a communal flair to her argument, alleging that her Muslim maid and her husband came to her rescue and not her Hindu neighbours.

Hathras Case: UP govt files compliance affidavit in SC, says three-layer security provided to victim’s family

OpIndia Staff
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Hathras Case: UP govt files compliance affidavit in SC, says three-layer security provided to victim’s family

On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh government filed a compliance affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the state government has provided a three-layer security cover to the family of the 19-year-old girl, who was strangulated in Hathras on September 14.

According to the reports, the Yogi Adityanath government, in its affidavit to the Supreme Court, said that it has installed CCTVs in the village to keep a tight vigil and provide security to the deceased victim’s family.

The state government has also mentioned that they have deployed police personnel in the village to ensure the protection of victim’s family. A team of female police has also been deployed in the village for female members of the victim’s family, it added.

The Uttar Pradesh government had also asked the Supreme Court to monitor the CBI probe and urged them to direct CBI to submit a fortnightly status report on the investigation to the state government. Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the state government to file a compliance report on the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the investigation in the Hathras case on Saturday and has also registered a case in the same.

CBI quizzes the victim’s family

On Tuesday, the CBI team quizzed the family members of the 19-year-old Dalit victim in the Hathras murder case and inspected the crime scene. The team, which reached the crime scene in Bhulgarhi village on Tuesday morning recorded the statements of the brother of the victim.

The victim had died a fortnight after an alleged brutal assault by four men of the village on September 14.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has also asked the family of the victim to appear before them on Wednesday again in connection with the Hathras case. The father of the victim and two brothers are expected to be questioned by the CBI officials.

The CBI is expected to demand custody of all accused in the case through court and may also question key eyewitnesses in the case along with other family members.

Hathras Case

On 14th September, a 19-year-old woman was strangulated, who later died to injuries on 29th September. Though the victim’s family had initially levelled allegations of a strangulation attempt, they had later alleged gang rape. The post mortem and forensic reports had ruled out rape or sexual assault. The Hathras case had become the ground for political drama and media propaganda. Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, and several others had visited Hathras to meet the family.

Reports have emerged that alleged PFI and Naxal connection to the case to instigate caste violence in the state. Investigation agencies found that a woman was posing as the sister-in-law of the victim and living with the family allegedly to train them what to say in front of the cameras. The state has requested for Supreme Court-monitored CBI inquiry in the case. Four PFI members were also arrested while on their way to the village.

Ahead of Bihar elections, Youth Congress highlights decreasing unemployment rates, indirectly praises Modi govt: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of Bihar elections, Youth Congress highlights decreasing unemployment rates, indirectly praises Modi govt: Read details

As elections to Bihar legislative assembly are just weeks away, the political parties – both the incumbent NDA and the opposition alliance of RJD and Congress have already descended into campaigning mode to push their political narratives to attract voters ahead of the assembly elections.

Similarly, on Tuesday, the Congress party and its various other party affiliates took to social media to campaign ahead of the state elections. In doing so, the Indian Youth Congress – the youth wing of the Congress party trended hashtags such as ‘#YuvaVirodhiNitishModi’ on Twitter to attack the NDA government over the issue of unemployment in the country.

However, the Congress IT cell, perhaps in a hurry to attack the JDU-BJP government in the state, scored a self-goal by trending tweets that were favourable to the NDA coalition in the state.

One particular tweet shared extensively by the Congress party and its social media bots showed the incumbent Modi government positively in terms of handling the unemployment crisis in the country.

The tweet shared by the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party, claimed that the urban unemployment rate in the country in July was recorded 9.15 per cent as against 12.02 per cent in June.

The below tweet, which was shared several times on social media by various Congress social media handles without even editing or changing the contents of the tweet, has now caused a massive embarrassment for the Congress party.

Image Source: IYC Telangana

According to the Congress Party, the country’s urban unemployment rate in the country in July has decreased to 9.15 per cent, which was around 12.02 per cent in June. Unable to differentiate between the unemployment rate and the employment rate, the Congress social media handles, without even comprehending the contents of the tweet, trended it on social media. In their hurry to trend the tweets, they probably did not even stop to realise that decreasing unemployment rate is a praise for the Modi government and shows that the government is able to handle the unemployment crisis well.

Citing the CMIE’s data on overall unemployment rate in the country, the Congress party essentially claimed that the rate of unemployment has come down in the country and indirectly praised the Narendra Modi-led government for fall in unemployment levels.

Various state units of Indian Youth Congress, other party affiliates aggressively trended the above tweet on Tuesday without even realising that they are indirectly campaigning on behalf of the BJP-led coalition in the state by depicting that there was a fall in unemployment levels in the country in the last few months.

Image Source: @Befitting facts/ Twitter

Here is another set of images trended by the Congress party and its affiliates highlighting the decrease in the unemployment rates in the country.

Image Source: @Befitting facts/Twitter

The elections to the 243 assembly seats in Bihar will take place in three phases between October 28 till November 7.

The first phase of the elections will take place on October 28 on 71 Assembly constituencies, while elections for the second phase on 94 seats will take place on November 3. The third phase poll on 78 Assembly seats will be on November 7. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.

‘Will never forget’: Mehbooba Mufti urges Kashmiris to ‘continue the struggle’ in first message after being released from detention

OpIndia Staff
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‘Will never forget’: Mehbooba Mufti urges Kashmiris to ‘continue the struggle’ in first message after being released from detention

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti has been released from detention on 13th October. She was detained with several other political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2020 when Home Minister Amit Shah announced the abrogation of Article 370. The government of Jammu and Kashmir issued the order to revoke the detention that was extended for three months on 31st July 2020.

In her first message to the public, she said that no one could forget the ‘insult’ and ‘humiliation’ when Article 370 was repealed. Mufti called the action of the central government, illegal and anti-democratic. Urging Kashmiris to continue the ‘struggle,’ she said, “We need to take back what Delhi Darbar took away (Article 370) from us illegally and in an undemocratic manner. The issue of Kashmir needs resolution too for which several Kashmiris have given up their lives. I know the path won’t be easy but we need to continue with this struggle. Today, when I am being let off, I demand the release of others who are still in detention illegally.”

Mufti was Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir during the period when NDA and PDP joined hands to form a government. The alliance did not last long due to the differences between the two parties. Mufti was booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) in February 2020. She was shifted to her official residence in April, which was declared a subsidiary jail by the Jammu and Kashmir authorities.

Reaction from the political leaders

Several political leaders extended their support to the decision including Omar Abdullah who was released from detention in March 2020.

Iltija, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, was handling her Twitter account in her absense. She posted a ‘thank you’ note from Mufti’s account and informed about the end of her detention period. Iltija had moved to Supreme Court against the continued detention of Mufti. The court was to resume hearing in the case on 15th October. 

Abrogation of Article 370

In the manifesto, BJP had promised to repeal Article 370 from the state of Jammu and Kashmir that gave it special status. On 5th August, the BJP-led Union government fulfilled the promise. The state was divided into two Union Territories, Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir, under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. The decision came into effect from 31sr October 2019.

Kerala gold scam: Accused Swapna Suresh says CM Vijayan had multiple ‘private meetings’ with UAE consul general at his residence

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala gold scam: Accused Swapna Suresh says CM Vijayan had multiple ‘private meetings’ with UAE consul general at his residence

In a sensational disclosure, Swapna Suresh, who is the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case has revealed to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had held multiple meetings with the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2017, reports Times of India.

According to the reports, the prime accused Swapna Suresh, in her statement to ED, said it was Vijayan who had also “unofficially” recommended the name of his then principal secretary M Shivasankar as the state government’s official point of contact with the UAE’s consulate.

Swapna Suresh has also admitted before the probing agency that the private meetings between Vijayan and the UAE diplomats were held at CM Vijayan’s official residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, CM Vijayan’s office has rejected the claims made by Swapna Suresh and has called them fabricated. “We are not ready to comment on such baseless media reports. All these are well-calculated campaigns against the government,” the CM’s office said.

Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the case, had also informed the NIA Special Court in Kochi that Swapna Suresh had “good influence” in Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office.

Chief Minister Vijayan knew about Swapna’s induction at Space Park

The Enforcement Directorate has also now revealed that the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was aware of Swapna Suresh’s appointment under the Information Technology (IT) department. 

The new details submitted to the court by the ED points directly links CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his office with gold scam accused Swapna Suresh. It is pertinent to note that Pinarayi Vijayan has time-and-again denied knowing Swapna Suresh.

Earlier, during her questioning on how she was selected for Kerala IT department’s SpacePark project, Swapna had reportedly revealed to ED saying that she knew Shivasankar very closely and also knew Chief Minister during her tenure as a secretary to the consul general.

“I believe that I am trustworthy and reliable and that may be the reason I have been recommended to PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and subsequently nominated to the SpacePark project. My appointment in SpacePark was with the knowledge of the CM,” Swapna Suresh had said.

The charge sheet filed by the ED in the court also pointed out that M Shivshankar, the then IT secretary was involved in various financial transactions of Swapna Suresh. He was also aware of the bank locker that Swapna started to transfer the money during various occasions.

In its charge sheet, the ED said, “Swapna stated that she met Shivasankar around eight times officially but met him many times unofficially; that she met Shivasankar in the presence of the CM of Kerala.”   

Kerala Gold Smuggling case: Swapna Suresh’s link with Kerala minister

The Custom officials in Kerala had nabbed a former employee of the UAE Consulate in Kerala named Sarith where he had divulged that Swapna Suresh, also a former staffer, had forged documents to misuse diplomatic privileges, to illegally smuggle gold from UAE.

On July 5, Suresh’s baggage, marked with the address of the UAE Consulate was held at the airport. Swapna Suresh was working as the marketing liaison officer Space Park under the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL) that comes directly under the IT department.

Last month, the call details of main accused Swapna Suresh had revealed that the accused was in regular touch with Kerala’s Higher Education minister KT Jaleel.

According to the Call Detail Record (CDR), KT Jaleel had made several calls to Swapna Suresh. The details revealed that the minister and Suresh exchanged several calls in the month of May and June. Jaleel’s two personal staff members were also reportedly in touch with Suresh.

Chetan Bhagat and left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ resort to elitist snobbery to attack the critics of the controversial Tanishq advertisement

Jinit Jain
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Chetan Bhagat and left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ resort to elitist snobbery to attack the critics of the controversial Tanishq advertisement

A massive controversy broke out when Tata Group’s jewellery brand Tanishq released a new advertisement which depicted a Hindu woman married into a Muslim family, preparing for her godbharai (baby shower).

The ad released on October 9 shows a pregnant Hindu woman walking with her mother-in-law, who distinctly belonged to the Muslim faith. The Muslim mother-in-law then leads the Hindu daughter-in-law to the garden area, where the god-bharai ceremony has been set up according to Hindu traditions.

Shocked, the daughter-in-law asks the mother-in-law why the ceremony was set up in that manner since “these things are not followed in the house”. To that, the smiling mother-in-law tells her that while this might not be their tradition (since they are a Muslim family), making daughters happy is a universal tradition.

Tanishq advertisement removed after widespread outrage on social media platforms

This glorification of interfaith marriage did not sit well with the social media users, who were quick to criticise the jewellery brand for its attempt to push soft bigotry through its commercial. A bevy of social media users expressed their fury over the advertisement, taking to social media platforms to call for the boycott of the brand.

Netizens were outraged that through its advertisement, Tanishq attempted a subtle promotion and normalisation of ‘love jihad’ under the umbrella of prestigious ‘Tata Group’. Soon enough, social media platforms were replete with posts criticising the organisation with #BoycottTanishq being among the top-trending topics on Twitter.

In the face of mounting backlash its controversial advertisement was attracting, the company took down the commercial from its official YouTube channel. The controversy should have ended there but it was given a fresh lease of life by elitist liberals who could not fathom the fact that the jewellery brand heeded to the online criticism and decided to make amends for hurting the sentiments of people.

Chetan Bhagat and left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ indulge in elitist snobbery to mock the critics of the advertisement

Scores of distressed ‘liberals’ could not hide their frustration at Tanishq’s decision of withdrawing the controversial advertisement. Author Chetan Bhagat was one amongst them who took to Twitter to deride the critics of the advertisement. Bhagat posted a condescending tweet, expressing his disapproval over the removal of the advertisement by the jewellery brand.

Bhagat added that those attacking Tanishq are incapable of affording them and given where the economy is headed, they would fail in retaining their jobs and therefore would not afford to buy Tanishq jewellery even in the future.

Similar arguments that those criticising the advertisement were not affluent enough to afford Tanishq jewellery were also raised by others who found it profoundly difficult to digest that the company had taken cognisance of the brickbats thrown at it and attempted to pacify its critics by taking off the contentious advertisement.

On the surface, these arguments by Bhagat and other social media users questioning the ability of critics to afford Tanishq jewellery to criticise their advertisement reeks off elitist snobbery. It’s a bit rich coming from Bhagat, who prides himself to be an author of the masses, to brazenly indulge in elitism and disparage the masses as being incapable of affording Tanishq Jewellery.

This is really a puerile argument from Bhagat, given that affordability has never been a criterion for voicing criticism. People, regardless of whether they can afford a product or not, have all the right to express their displeasure if an organisation has adversely affected their deeply-held beliefs and sensitivities.

Even if one assumes that those criticising the organisation over its advertisement cannot afford to buy its products, one of the maxims that dictate business says that ‘never antagonise your prospective customers’. An organisation can ill-afford to alienate its potential customers by not heeding to their criticism and continue engaging in activities deemed unacceptable by its future and present customers. However, Bhagat and left-leaning liberals seem to be unaware of the relationship of organisations with their customers, both current and future.

Left-leaning liberals leeching off public exchequer while questioning others’ ability to buy Tanishq jewellery

Furthermore, the assertion that the right-wing critics cannot afford to buy Tanishq Jewellery is too broad in scope and therefore liable to be proven wrong. In fact, most of the right-wing critics who have flagged the controversial advertisement and its subtle undertones of promoting ‘love jihad’, are working professional, adding valuable contribution to the betterment of the society by generating wealth and paying taxes to the government, unlike most of the left-leaning ‘liberals’ arm-chair critics. It is incredibly foolish of the left-leaning ‘liberals’, most of whom have leeched off the public exchequer to fund their interminable studies, to mock others for not being able to afford expensive jewellery.

Also, these left-leaning ‘liberals’, who have a habit of cutting themselves as social activists championing the cause of the weak and poor in the society against the “crony-capitalist” government, in reality only pay lip service to the lofty ideal of working for the marginalised and the vulnerable. All they want is to be amongst the elites and pontificate about everything under the sun to the “unwashed masses”. So when they see “unwashed masses” raising their opinions and getting large organisations to backpedal, it was but natural that it would set the liberals’ teeth on edge.

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