New Delhi: Food delivery app Zomato has once again found itself in the crosshairs of right-wing rage, this time, over whether or not they should continue to run advertisements on Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV.It started when a Twitter user pointed out that some people who have contributed funds to ‘Feeding India’, a Zomato subsidiary and charitable organisation registered under ‘Hunger Heroes’ under the Indian Society Registration Act XXI, 1860, they would not intend for their money to be used to support advertisements on channels contributing to hate speech, thereby indirectly sponsoring them.The user shared a video of a debate on Republic Bharat, in which Arnab Goswami is discussing the bogey of ‘love jihad’, a conspiracy peddled by right-wing groups. The user said that if Zomato as a parent company did not endorse hate speech, they should pull down their adverts from Republic TV..@zomato @deepigoyal people offered money to @feedingindia because they believed in it. Can we also assume that you believe and endorse this hate speech because you advertise in hateful @Republic_Bharat channel? If we are wrong, pull down your ads today! #DefundtheHateZomato pic.twitter.com/K4psCwcr5m— Defund the Hate (@DefundTheHate) November 18, 2020Actor and activist Swara Bhasker endorsed this view, saying that she was not okay with her money ‘even indirectly funding this kind of communal bigoted hate’.Hey @zomatoin @zomato @deepigoyal I’m your regular customer.. do u plan to #DefundTheHate & pull your ads from hate espousing channels like @Republic_Bharat ? I’m not okay with my money even indirectly funding this kind of communal bigoted hate! Pls let your consumers know.. https://t.co/mMacP8IawZ— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) November 18, 2020In 2018, the actor had amplified ‘Feeding India’ on Twitter, asking her followers to ‘do their bit’ to reduce wastage of food.Zomato, which has previously taken a stand against communalism, responded in a measured fashion, saying, “Hi Swara, please note, we don’t endorse any content except our own. That being said, we are looking into this.”From 5:30 pm on Thursday, when Zomato responded to Bhasker, there have been more than 53,000 tweets on the polarising debate, peaking at #10 on Twitter trends at about 9 am on Thursday.Right-wing commentators took to the platform to chide Zomato.Dear @zomato @zomatocare @zomatoin please stick to delivering FOOD, not moral lectures!— Shefali Vaidya. (@ShefVaidya) November 19, 2020They also warned Zomato that the company could lose customers if it decides to boycott Republic TV.Hey @zomatoin @zomato @deepigoyal @zomatocare this is your big moment… this is your big test… decide who is your customer base… these Chinese #UrbanNaxals or REAL INDIANS. Come on, your time starts now. We, Indians, are watching.All those who are watching, raise your hand. https://t.co/4QtvOYOo3u— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) November 18, 2020You choose Swara, we choose Swiggy. Deal 🤝 https://t.co/ufwSf0jW1Z— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) November 18, 2020Dear Zomato (@zomato @zomatocare), if you entertain demands of filthy Swara then be rest assured that you will lose many loyal customers to SwiggyIndians are waking up and we will not spare anybody who sides with these urban naxals. https://t.co/DSREz7L463— I Oppose Conversion (@IOpposeConvrsn) November 19, 2020One right-wing commentator claimed that Zomato was apparently paying more attention to Bhasker, rather than customers who had asked the food-delivery app to make a statement on the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by the People’s Liberation Army in Ladakh in June, when employees and customers alike protested Chinese investment in the company.Amazing, the Chinese-funded @zomato will look into a complaint of their Bollywood customer but didn’t bother when common citizens asked them to condemn the Chinese troops who killed our Indian soldiers in Ladakh! We Indians are hopeless. https://t.co/TJ6XpD5jxt— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) November 19, 2020This is not the first time that Zomato has been propelled into the limelight due to political considerations.The company previously took a clear stand, saying ‘Food has no religion’, when one customer insisted on being served by a Hindu delivery person, causing wide outrage at the time. However, right-wing Twitter users rallied in support of the user and opposed Zomato’s message.Just cancelled an order on @ZomatoIN they allocated a non hindu rider for my food they said they can’t change rider and can’t refund on cancellation I said you can’t force me to take a delivery I don’t want don’t refund just cancel— पं अमित शुक्ल (@Amit_shukla999) July 30, 2019In the run-up to Diwali, the company also launched a subtle ad suggesting food as a common bond on which inter-faith relationships can grow.aap bas rishte banaiye, baaki sab hum par chhod dijiye ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AUMRFPR1Tj— zomato (@zomato) October 29, 2020Zomato joins a host of corporations targetted by right-wing trolls on Twitter for not aligning with the proponents of Hindutva and majoritarianism. Last month, Tanishq was forced to pull down an ad featuring an interreligious marriage after right-wing groups claimed that it promoted ‘love jihad’.In March 2019, consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever came in for ire on social media for an ad campaign for its Surf Excel product. The ad, promoted with the hashtag #RangLayeSang, featured a young (Hindu) girl helping a young (Muslim) boy. Earlier that month they had also targeted a tea brand (Brook Bond) for ‘projecting the Kumbh in the wrong light’ by showing a (presumably Hindu) man deliberately attempting to abandon his father there.E-commerce giant Amazon also came under pressure to remove products featuring Hindu iconography on doormats and other items in 2019.