Karnataka govt appoints Tamannaah Bhatia as KSDL brand ambassador
Bengaluru, May 22 (PTI): The Karnataka government has appointed Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia as the brand ambassador of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures Mysore Sandal Soap.
The state government’s order issued on Wednesday said Bhatia has been appointed as the brand ambassador for two years and two days at a cost of Rs 6.2 crore.
The decision drew flak from certain sections of society who questioned her appointment.
“When local Kannada young actresses like @AshikaRanganath could be taken as brand ambassador why appoint and promote Hindi ones?” a woman questioned the decision on ‘X’.
We're thrilled to welcome the iconic Ms Tamannaah Bhatia (@tamannaahspeaks) as the brand ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap! A symbol of grace and versatility, Tamannaah perfectly mirrors the legacy, purity, and timeless appeal of our heritage brand
— House Of Mysore Sandal (@MysoreSandalIn) May 22, 2025
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.#Ksdl #BrandAmbassador pic.twitter.com/TQe2tjeY4O
Reacting to it, state Commerce and Industries Minister M B Patil on Thursday explained that the decision was taken after much deliberation “to penetrate markets beyond Karnataka aggressively”.
The KSDL has the deepest respect and regards to the Kannada film industry, Patil said, adding that some Kannada movies are giving competition to even Bollywood films.
“Mysore Sandal has a very good brand recall within Karnataka, which shall be strengthened. However the intent of Mysore Sandal is to also penetrate markets beyond Karnataka aggressively,” the minister clarified.
“The pride of Karnataka is also a Jewel of the Nation. Hence it’s an independent strategic decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts,” Patil noted.
According to him, choosing a brand ambassador takes a lot of deliberation and also considerations like availability for any given category if they have a non-competition agreement, social media presence, coherence with the brand, product and target audience and marketing fit and reach.
“Our vision is for KSDL to touch annual revenue of Rs 5,000 crore by 2028,” the minister said.
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Rahul Gandhi should've been allowed to quote Naravane's 'memoir' in LS: Sharad Pawar
Baramati (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should have been allowed in the Lok Sabha to quote from an unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief MM Naravane.
The controversy on the memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny', centres on the events of the Indo-China stand-off in 2020.
A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Gandhi sought to quote from the unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief Naravane, but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, strongly opposed it and accused the Congress leader of "misleading" the House.
Pawar said Gandhi "should have been allowed" to speak on the subject in Parliament during the Budget session.
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"If the former Army chief has written something and if the leader of the opposition is saying something, then it is his (Gandhi's) right and he should have been given that opportunity," the Rajya Sabha member said at a press conference in Baramati.
He said that an atmosphere of suspicion should not prevail unnecessarily in the country.
"The former Army chief has written something in the book which shows there was some concerning situation. If a discussion had taken place in Parliament on the issue, people could have got a clear picture," Pawar said.
Though the book is unpublished, Gandhi held a copy of it and the Lok Sabha speaker asked to authenticate the copy, he noted. "Why was there opposition (to Gandhi) when the copy was authenticated?" Pawar asked.
Gandhi on Wednesday cited the unpublished "memoir" to claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not fulfil his responsibility during the India-China conflict in 2020 and passed the buck on to Naravane.
Addressing reporters in the premises of Parliament House complex, Gandhi held up Naravane's unpublished "memoir" and said he would like the youngsters in India to know that this 'book' exists despite the government claiming otherwise.
He said Naravane has written the full account of what happened in Ladakh.
Gandhi has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, lodging his strong protest over being disallowed from speaking in the House on a matter of national security and terming it a "blot on our democracy".
He has also said that it was for the first time in history that LoP was not allowed to speak on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
