Tanishq ad controversy: Leave Ratan Tata out of it; here's why

Ratan Tata became a part of the Tanishq ad controversy, with netizens demanding the billionaire to take a stand even after the ad has been pulled down.

Tanishq's ad became a national controversy after netizens and even some celebs called out the commercial as it apparently promoted "love jihad" by showing a Muslim family organise a baby shower as per Hindu rituals for their daughter-in-law. Netizens had mixed reactions towards the ad, while some even supported it to be a beautiful ad conveying a message of inter-faith prosperity. But as the rage was higher against the ad, Tanishq decided to pull down the commercial.

Almost immediately after the advertisement faced backlash, Boycott Tanishq started to trend as people threatened to never buy jewellery from the renowned brand owned by Tata. As the hate and trolling spiralled, Ratan Tata's name was dragged into the controversy and for no plausible reason, the billionaire was questioned how he could allow the ad to be aired across India.

Where does Rata Tata fit into all this?

The lack of research and anger fuelling the conversation, Ratan Tata was at the centre of the backlash right alongside Tanishq. After all, the philanthropist was once the chairman of Tata Sons, which is a division of a company promoted by the Tata Group. Apparently, that was enough for people to drag Ratan Tata into the mix.

But a simple Google Search into the history of Tanishq would reveal that Ratan Tata is not directly associated with the jewellery brand. In fact, Tanishq's parent company is promoted by not just Tata Group, but also by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.

The only plausible explanation to dragging Ratan Tata's name into the Tanishq ad controversy is his family name that is weaved deeply into the mindset of people that he is still at the helm of the billion-dollar-conglomerate. Well, Ratan Tata is a former chairman of Tata Sons and he has been succeeded by Natarajan Chandrasekaran in 2017.

Twitter reactions

Here's how netizens reacted to Tanishq ad controversy, involving Ratan Tata and how some netizens came forward in support of the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons.