Nitin Gadkari's road safety advertisement featuring Akshay Kumar is criticised for "pushing dowry."

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 13, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: Nitin
Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, issued a tweet on
his Twitter account on Friday, September 9, encouraging driving safety. In
order to increase safety in the event of an accident, the advertisement
encourages people to use six airbag-equipped vehicles. However, the Bollywood
actor Akshay Kumar-starring campaign received criticism for supposedly
"encouraging dowry."

In the commercial,
Akshay Kumar portrays a police officer at a wedding who is discussing the
amount of airbags in a car with the groom-to-father. be's He is shown
persuading the father to buy his daughter a car with six airbags rather than
sending her off in one with only two airbags.

Shiv Sena leader
Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the advertisement shortly after it went viral,
alleging that it promotes dowry in the name of increasing road safety. She
posted on Twitter, asking, "Is the government spending money to promote
the safety feature of a car or promoting the immoral and criminal act of dowry
through this ad? This is really a terrible advertisement. Who passes such
creatives.

The advertising was criticised by other commenters as well,
who claimed it influenced people to spend money on cars with six airbags rather
than building better roads. Improve the roads first, someone said. "You
people can't fix the 3000 potholes in a 300 metre road, but you are advertising
those who sell expensive cars."

A photograph of the Mumbai-Goa Highway was submitted by
another user. This is the Mumbai-Goa highway, and the dangerous location is at
Kasarde Titha, Talere. Will the six airbags save lives if a fatal accident
occurs? he said.

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the
advertising in a Twitter, writing, "This is really a dangerous
advertisement. Who approves such artistic work? Is the government using tax
dollars to advertise the safety features of cars or is it using them to
advertise the immoral and illegal practise of dowry? ”