Bhubaneswar: Pictures of Lord Jagannath on KitKat wrappers has sparked a controversy.
Drawing the attention of Nestlé, furious netizens asked the company, which makes KitKat, to stop it immediately, saying it had hurt religious sentiments.
The company has issued a statement saying it was withdrawing these packs from the market.
“KitKat travel break packs are meant to celebrate beautiful local destinations. 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,” said Nestlé in a statement.
“The visual was inspired by the government tourism website. We wanted to encourage people to know about the art & its artisans. Our past campaigns have also shown that consumers like to collect & keep such beautiful designs,” it said.
“We do understand the sensitivity of the matter and regret if we have inadvertently hurt anyone’s sentiment. With immediate action, we had already initiated the withdrawal of these packs from the market. We thank you for your understanding and support,” it added.
Dear @KITKAT @Nestle I Request remove the pictures of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra from Kitkat wrappers as they would ultimately end up in dustbins, drains and on streets. They might even get stepped on unintentionally. This hurts our religious sentiments. pic.twitter.com/Zw6wWIatF0
— Lalata Keshari Balsamanta (@LalataKeshariB2) January 14, 2022
Dear @KITKAT pls remove the pics of Lord Jagannath which is printed on the Packet. Bcoz it has hurt the feelings & religious sentiments of millions Devotees . So please correct the error as soon as possible & remove it .@SJTA_Puri @CMO_Odisha @bada_khabar @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/Qdowx7N2yq
— ଗୁରୁ (@Guru_Prasad_BK) January 14, 2022
@Nestle @KITKAT
We are happy to see your interest promoting Odisha art and culture.
Adding Lord Jagannath's picture on KitKat wrapper looks offensive towards Jagannath & Odia Culture.Please stop playing with the feelings of millions Lord Jagannath devotees and remove it. pic.twitter.com/W4cEG1x03g— Er. Subrat Kumar Mohapatra (@KuSubrat) January 15, 2022
