Gandhinagar: A billboard of animal rights advocacy group PETA in Jivraj Park – Vejalpur area of the city has triggered uproar on social media platforms. The billboard, appeals people to give up leather to protect the cows on the occasion of Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan. Netizens in their social media posts are asking, what is the connection of leather and Raksha Bandhan? Rakhis that are tied on Raksha Bandhan day are never ever made of leather! Leather is nowhere used while celebrating Raksha Bandhan! Netizens link PETA campaign to old tendency of environment activists and animal right groups to target and tarnish Hindu festivals.

City based Vijay Thaker in a tweet pointed out: It is totally appreciated that “PETA” is campaigning for leather-free Raksha Bandhan.. (God knows whether leather is used to make Rakhi or not !)
But I am waiting this kind of campaigning for Bakra Eid.

This is totally appreciated "PETA" campaigning for leadher free Raksha Bandhan.. (God knows either leadher is being used in Rakhi or not !)
I am waiting this kind of campaigning for Bakrid @PetaIndia #rakshabandhan #jivdaya #bakrid pic.twitter.com/EUfnlqbzAE

— विजय ठाकर (@VIJAYTHAKERJI) July 15, 2020

In response to number of comments questiong PETA’s Facebook post linking Raksha Bandhan with leather, PETA India replied: We didn’t say rakhis are made of leather. We said Raksha Bandhan is a good day to extend protection to cows who are our sisters under the skin by taking a pledge to go leather-free, for life. That’s a message all kind people can get behind. For Eid, PETA India’s billboard campaign against Bakried is already up in Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. We don’t only suddenly wake up to the fact that animals are slaughtered on Eid. That’s why PETA promotes vegan every single day. In a vegan world, there’d be no animal sacrifice for Eid.