NEW DELHI India's state-controlled television network dropped advertisements for a brand of U.S.-led Western fashion including jeans were distasteful and degrading to women, the ***Indian Express*** newspaper said Sunday. They have been declared illegal.

The wrangler advertisement shows a woman stepping out of her jeans to battle a fire with what the ad says are "authentic Western jeans."

The ban comes after Information Minister Sushma Swaraj, a hardline Hindu leader, lambasted France's Fashion TV Channel for its "vulgar content."

"Even before Swaraj could say cut, Doordarshan (the state-controlled TV channel) has decided to do away with these ads that officials now say violate the accepted code for commercial advertising," the ***Indian Express*** said.

Wrangler was not immediately available for comment.

The report said Doordarshan had also axed an ad for a motorcycle that showed a man running his hands over the machine "as if there is little to distinguish between a woman and a motorbike."

On Tuesday, India agreed to reverse a decision to ban fashion TV after the channel promised to make programs more in keeping with Indian sensibilities.

Swaraj had said she was opposed not to fashion, just too much nudity on the channel.

The programing on FTV includes fashion shows, showcasing the latest in haute couture by a host of international designers. The channel is seen in 100 countries and some 200 hours per year are devoted to Indian fashion.

India's coalition government is dominated by Hindu nationalist parties who come under daily pressure from fundamentalist groups to crack down on anything deemed to be an invasion by Western culture.

In an interview to ***Hindustan Times*** newspaper on Sunday, Swaraj said her actions were aimed at curbing "sexual exploitation" of women.

"The goal being set is expose yourself and you will be able to achieve something.' I want to reverse this statement and say that my physique is not my asset, but my intellect is,'" AFP quoted Swaraj as saying.