Online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy on Tuesday took down its 'Holi egg' billboards in the capital region after a section of people expressed "outrage" on social media, according to news agency PTI. The advertisement was aimed at discouraging people from throwing eggs at each other this Holi.
“Omelette; Sunny side-up; Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart”, the Swiggy advertisement said.
After facing backlash, the company has pulled down the advertisements. "The billboard ads were only in Delhi-NCR and have been taken down now", said a source to PTI. However, there is no official statement from Swiggy on removing the billboard yet.
The advertisement created a furore with a section of the society branding it "Hinduphobic". The hashtags #BoycottSwiggy and #HinduphobicSwiggy were also trending.
One social media user took to the microblogging site Twitter to write, "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. #HinduPhobicSwiggy".
While the All India Sadhu Samaj member and former president of the Kutch Sant Samaj wrote, "Hey @swiggy, it's not okay to give selective gyan on Hindu festivals. Your Holi reel and Billboard is creating a wrong perception about Holi. You must apologize and take steps to promote cultural inclusivity."
"By promoting controversial billboards and posting reel, #HinduPhobicSwiggy has hurt the sentiments of millions of people. Swiggy must apologize to Hindu community and remove them immediately, or face consequences. Why is their lack of similar Ads during non-Hindu festivals?", said former BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh Arun Kumar Yadav, according to PTI.