Fabindia has removed a tweet promoting its new collection for Diwali after being trolled by right-wing elements on social media.
The brand has been accused of “defacing” Diwali and terming it “Jashn-e-Riwaaz”.
The now-deleted social media post said: “As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz by Fabindia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture.”
Fabindia has withdrawn the ad and issued a clarification, saying Jashn-E-Riwaaz is not its Diwali clothing collection; the ‘Jhil Mil Se Diwali’ collection is yet to be launched.
Also read: Diwali is not Jashn-e-Riwaaz: Right-wing leaders slam Fabindia advt
BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, who has a history of making controversial comments, on Monday (October 18) lashed out at Fabindia and said the “abrahamisation” of Hindu festivals “must be called out”.
“Deepavali is not Jashn-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out,” the Bengaluru MP tweeted. Surya, an advocate by profession, is also the national president of BJP Yuva Morcha.
Mohandas Pai, the chairman of Manipal Global Education, also waded into the controversy. “You can use any brand name you want post-Diwali but at this time, linking it to Diwali shows a perverted mindset!” he tweeted.