The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari, shared the below video on Twitter. The video promotes safer cars with six airbags to minimize severance caused due to a road accident.
The video and the tweet by the minister received a massive backlash from Twitterati as they claimed that the video promotes dowry.
The ad captures a scene from a vidaai of a daughter with the groom in a fancy car with only two airbags. And it is actor Akshay Kumar dressed as a policeman who advises the father to send his daughter in a safer car with six airbags. But Twitterati perceived it in another way. Let us see a few of the replies claiming the tweet promotes dowry!
You do realise you are encouraging dowry?
— Nayanika (@nayanikaaa) September 12, 2022
ये वीडियो दहेज प्रथा को बढ़ावा दे रहा है, और किसी तरीके से भी इस बात का संदेश दिया जा सकता था। और 6 एयरबैग वाली कार एक साधारण आदमी तो ले ही नही सकता तब तो ये विज्ञापन सरकार ने अमीरो के लिये ही बनाया है?
— Prince Verma (@PrinceV93789344) September 10, 2022
It is 2022 and the Govt of India cannot get a message of road safety across without also promoting giving car as dowry (which as per Indian law is, by the way, illegal).
Great going. https://t.co/XnRLlpbK0e
— Arnav Gupta (in Bay Area for 2 weeks) (@championswimmer) September 10, 2022
Also, a few opposition leaders slammed the minister with their responses.
https://twitter.com/priyankac19/status/1569004754210103296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1569004754210103296%7Ctwgr%5E544b4d00253d1f86cd5c69479609dafe7ad88cf1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ndtv.com%2Findia-news%2Fakshay-kumar-ad-tweeted-by-nitin-gadkari-slammed-for-promoting-dowry-3337577
1. Disgusting to see Indian govt officially promoting dowry. What even???
2. Cyrus Mistry died because the road design was faulty. That spot is an accident-prone area.
Amazing way to deflect responsibility by pushing for 6 air bags (& expensive cars) instead of fixing roads. https://t.co/vTiTdkeei2
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) September 11, 2022
The recent demise of the business tycoon Cyrus Mistry has fueled the outrage among people about the increasing number of road accidents. This incident has also led the government to take necessary actions to ensure road safety, and these promotions are a part of the process. According to the police reports, Mr. Mistry and his co-passenger, Mr. Jehangir Pandole (who also died in the accident), were not wearing seatbelts when the accident took place.
On this accident, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has also said, “Already, it’s mandatory to wear seatbelts on the rear seats, but people are not following it. There will be a siren if people in rear seats don’t wear seatbelts, just like the way it is for front seats. And if they don’t wear seatbelts, there will be a fine,”
On the one hand, some social media users praised the ad and the minister’s quick action on the issue. But on the other hand, some suggested having chosen a different script for the ad that doesn’t promote dowry, which is illegal in the country.
