{
  "id": 5992909,
  "title": "'Girlfriend may give 0% interest': FD advertisement on Chennai Metro was flagged by DMK MP triggers row",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/girlfriend-may-give-0-interest-fd-advertisement-on-chennai-metro-was",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T14:01:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/india/girlfriend-may-give-0-interest-fd-advertisement-on-chennai-metro-was-flagged-by-dmk-mp-triggers-row-11788701574213.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fixed deposit advertisement displayed on a Chennai Metro train has sparked controversy after the Dravidian Munnetra Kazhagam MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian claimed it portrayed women as objects. The advertisement, by co-operative credit society THECOS, compared interest rates to those offered by a girlfriend, stating \"a girlfriend may give 0 per cent interest\" to highlight returns for customers. The DMK MP criticized the Chennai Metro Rail administration for allowing such an advertisement, demanding its immediate removal and preventive measures. AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan called for legal action, opposing the degrading language used and emphasizing that freedom of expression should not justify demeaning gender-based comments. The advertisement was published by the Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation Employee's Co-operative Credit Society Ltd, a financial institution serving transport employees in Tamil Nadu.",
  "summary": "The institution said that a ‘girlfriend may give 0 per cent interest,’ using the remark to draw attention to the returns available to its customers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}