Akshay Kumar 'promotes dowry' in Nitin Gadkari's road safety advertisement; Centre faces backlash

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, September 14

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had recently shared a video on road safety campaign on his Twitter handle featuring Akshay Kumar.

The video shows a wedding scene where the bride bids adieu to her family.

In the video, Akshay Kumar, starring as a policeman, can be seen taunting the bride’s father for sending the newly-wed couple in a car that had only two airbags.

He advises him to send her off in a car with six airbags instead.

The advertisement didn’t go down well with netizens and the video sparked a controversy.

While the concept behind the video was to promote safety with six airbags in cars, it faced severe criticism for ‘promoting the practice of dowry’ along with it.

Shiv sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi wondered who passes such creatives that end up ‘promoting the evil and criminal act of dowry’.

This is such a problematic advertisement. Who passes such creatives? Is the government spending money to promote the safety aspect of a car or promoting the evil& criminal act of dowry through this ad? https://t.co/0QxlQcjFNI

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) September 11, 2022

A user called out the central government for propagating dowry in the name of spreading awareness about road safety.

Propagating dowry in the name of spreading awareness about safety. Someone or a group of people thought this, pitched it, got accepted, got actors to agree to be a part of it, shot the video, got final edit, aired it. Did anyone object and were they heard? Strangely, no. https://t.co/d7T6kupaWx

— Doctor (@DipshikhaGhosh) September 12, 2022

Another user wrote, “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.”

Read a few tweets here:

Are we promoting dowry here ?? Seriously @nitin_gadkari did you not see the ad even once? Did none of your team members see it or are they all so dumb or high? https://t.co/hqqKnq17kS

— Curiosweety (@curiosweetie) September 12, 2022

An ad made using taxpayers’ money gloriously promoting dowry.

Waah mantri sahab waah! https://t.co/fwxdNK3Brq

— Nikita Arora (@guks123) September 11, 2022

Only in India would the Govt spend taxpayer money to create an ad campaign promoting a punishable offence, dowry. https://t.co/vnBgLehzvh

— Jas Oberoi | ਜੱਸ ਓਬਰੌਏ (@iJasOberoi) September 11, 2022

Is GOI promoting #Dowry?#BoycottMarriage #MarriageStrike https://t.co/iCcTfN1H5p

— NoLawForMen (@MenTooRHuman) September 12, 2022

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#Akshay Kumar #Shiv Sena #Social Media #Twitter