The television commercial played on the idea that anyone can enjoy lamb no matter their background, religious beliefs or dietary requirements and was designed to be playful but not offensive. However, The Hindu Council of Australia called for the ad to be banned, saying it was a “crude and deplorable attempt by Meat and Livestock Australia to use images of Ganesha to promote lamb consumption”. The timing of the ad was especially bad with Ganesha celebrations in full swing for the Hindu community in Australia on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Now, after generating a huge amount of debate and controversy, India’s own government has called for Australia’s new lamb ad to be scrapped, labelling it “offensive”
In a press release on Friday, the high Commission of India said it had made a “démarche” to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Communication and Arts and the Department of Agriculture over the “insensitive” ad.
The statement said the way Lord Ganesha was used for the ad was considered by the Indian community to be “offensive and hurting their religious sentiments”.
“The Consulate General of India in Sydney has taken up the matter directly with Meat and Livestock Australia and urged them to withdraw the advertisement,” it added.
Source: The High Commission of India, Australia
This is not the first time the MLA’s ad has created controversy. In 2016, Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau received over 50 complaints in less than a day after it released an ad that appeared to promote violence towards vegans.
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