US: Republican Party uses Lord Ganesha image in 'offensive' ad; seeks apology after controversy

The ad which was apparently aimed at wooing the support of the Hindu voters in Texas was published on the occasion of ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’ festival.

Screengrab from ABP News

New Delhi: The ruling Republican party of Texas, US, elicited a huge row after it used imagery of Lord Ganesha in an advertisement aiming political benefits. The advertisement sparked outrage among the Indian American community. The Hindu American Foundation called upon the party to clarify its intentions regarding the use of the Hindu God in a political advert urging support for the party. Republican Party’s county unit which published the ad on September 18 apologised after the row and clarified that the intention of the advert was not to affront Hindu sentiments in any way. The ad which was apparently aimed at wooing the support of the Hindu voters in Texas was published on the occasion of ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’ festival. It had a picture of Lord Ganesha with the text “Would you worship a donkey or an elephant? The choice is yours.” Elephant is the party symbol of the Republicans while donkey is the symbol of the Democrats. The party tried to utilise the occasion of the festival to reach out to the Hindu community, which however backfired as the Indian-American community described the advert as “offensive”.