NDA ally urges celebrities not to endorse products

New Delhi: Against the backdrop of a controversy surrounding M.S. Dhoni, an ally of ruling NDA on Monday suggested in Lok Sabha that celebrities should not endorse a product blindly by becoming the brand ambassador.

“The problem is that we have celebrity endorsements. In our country, people just not love and admire celebrities but they worship them and perceive them as Gods and role models,” said Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal.

Citing protests by home-buyers against property developers in the NCR region, she said when a celebrity is endorsing a product or a brand, people’s faith is strengthened.

“Celebrities may not have any intent to harm anyone, but because they are promoting a brand they tend to unintentionally or intentionally dictate consumer choices. That is why I feel that they do have a moral obligation,” she said.

Her comments came against the backdrop of a controversy surrounding Dhoni’s endorsement of a builder who is facing attack for delaying delivery of flats in Noida. Dhoni has since quit as the company's brand ambassador.

Patel expressed concern that people here have been facing this problem for almost three years wherein the developers and builders are delaying the handing over of possession for three to four years and in certain cases even for longer periods.

The Apna Dal MP appealed to the government to implement as soon as possible the Real Estate Act, recently passed by Parliament, to help home buyers.