Tanishq ad: Questions raised on Tamil Nadu government's stand

With Tanishq pulling out its ‘Ekatvam’ (Oneness) advertisement campaign following a Twitter backlash, questions are now being raised on the stand of the Tamil Nadu government, whose TIDCO is a major shareholder in the company that owns the jewellery brand.

The Titan Company Limited, which owns Tanishq, is a joint venture between the TATA Group and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). While TIDCO holds 28 per cent stake in Titan Company, TATA group has 25 per cent stake.

DMK MP Kanimozhi sought to know the Tamil Nadu government’s stand on the issue after Tanishq pulled out the advertisement campaign following backlash on Twitter.

The company was trolled for promoting ‘love jihad’ as Twitter users took objection to the advertisement that showed a Muslim household holding a baby shower ceremony for their Hindu daughter-in-law.

“TN government is a major shareholder in @TanishqJewelry. TN is a state which has always stood for secularism. What is the stand of @CMOTamilNadu on the controversy surrounding the advertisement of Tanishq?” she posted on her verified Twitter page.

When contacted, a senior bureaucrat told Deccan Herald that decisions on advertisement campaigns are taken by the management and not by the Board of Directors.

“The Board of which officials from Tamil Nadu are part of does not get into day to day functioning of the company. Such things (ad campaigns) are never brought to the notice of the Board. Management takes decisions on ad campaigns, not the Board,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

Three IAS officers from Tamil Nadu government are on the board. While N Muruganandam is the Chairman in his capacity as Principal Secretary to Industries Department, Arun Roy, and Kakarla Usha are Directors in their capacities as Additional Secretary, Industries Department, and Managing Director of TIDCO.

While N N Tata is the vice-chairman, Bhaskar Bhat and C K Venkataraman are the other directors of the Board. Ashwani Puri, B Santhanam, Pradyumna Vyas, Dr. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam and Sindhu Gangadharan serve as independent directors on the Board of The Titan Company Limited.