New Delhi: Nestle India has found itself in the midst of a controversy after several people on social media objected to images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra used on wrappers of its product Kitkat.
The promotional gimmick by Nestle India has not gone down well with a section of citizens and people took to social media to air their grievances, with some saying that it hurt religious sentiments.
"Please remove the Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Mata Subhadra photos in your kitkat chocolate cover. When people are finished eating the chocolate they will throw the cover on road, drain, dustbin, etc. So, please remove the photos," a Twitter user wrote.
Another person tweeted, "Who gave them the right to print the picture of Lord Jagannath ji on the packet of kitkat. People will throw the packet in the dustbin after eating the chocolate. It will insult our God, and as a Hindu we cannot tolerate it, Hindus oppose it."
"It is an honour to see our Odisha culture and Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra on KitKat but please think once, when someone will eat chocolate bar and will throw the wrapper into dustbins, drains, gutters and many will walk on it. Jagannath family will be happy with it (sic)," another user commented.
Responding to the controversy, Nestle India said it had withdrawn these packs from the market last year.
"As an pre-emptive action, we had undertaken withdrawal of these packs from the market last year. We thank you for your understanding and support," Nestle India tweeted.
"We wanted to encourage people to know about the art and its artisans. We do understand the sensitivity of the matter and regret if we have inadvertently hurt people's sentiments," it said.
"Kitkat travel break packs are meant to celebrate beautiful local destinations and last year we wanted to celebrate the culture of Odisha with designs on packs representing 'Pattachitra’, an art form uniquely identifiable by its vivid imagery," Nestle India further said.