NEW DELHI: Who has a superior social hierarchy? A pickpocket, rickshaw puller or a cart puller? According to the State Bank of India it is the "pickpocket." So goes an ad campaign of SBI Debit Card.
The advertisement, being aired on television as well as published in leading national dailies, shows ex-pickpockets being forced to work as rickshaw pullers, cart pullers and loaders (as punishment) because SBI Debit Card has ushered in a cashless world.
Protesting against the "objectionable" advertisement, the CPM has asked finance minister P Chidambaram to withdraw the ad. CPM politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP Chittabrata Majumdar had on Thursday written to Chidambaram saying that the ad is in bad taste and also "raises important questions regarding the pathetic attitude of SBI, the advertisement agency which has created the ad as well as the television channels and newspapers who are airing/publishing it towards the millions of workers in the unorganised sector in India," Majumdar said
Majumdar added, "It portrays jobs like rickshaw pulling as a fitting punishment for pickpockets, thus debasing the dignity of millions of rickshaw and cart pullers across the country. The fact that millions of Indians like them have to toil throughout the day for a pittance is not because of any fault on their part."
According to the political party, the advertisement may be interpreted as suggesting that unorganised sector workers like rickshaw pullers are former pickpockets or would become one if given an opportunity. This only feeds into the elitist prejudices against the poor and oppressed sections, which already exist in society. The CPM leader urged the finance minister to take necessary steps to withdraw the advertisement, which has hurt the sentiments of millions of unorganised sector workers in India, at the earliest.
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