A cartoon posted on the social media platform X by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh, which referred to the ongoing controversy over the arrest of two Christian nuns in the State, resulted in a backlash, forcing the party to delete the post on Saturday (August 2, 2025).

The cartoon, depicting Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and K.C. Venugopal, bowing to nuns, and as well-wishers of those indulging in human trafficking and religious conversions, was posted and deleted in quick succession on Saturday morning (August 2, 2025) after some users said it mocked Christianity.

The arrest of the nuns, Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, along with a resident of Narayanpur, in Durg on July 25, sparked a political controversy.

The deleted cartoon, too, prompted a strong rebuttal from the Opposition Congress in the State. The party said the BJP had been forced to delete the post, fearing electoral losses in Kerala; the nuns hail from the southern State.

“The arrest of the nuns was wrong and illegal. Action was taken against them on the basis of purported statements alleging human trafficking and conversion by women who have since denied the incidents of trafficking and conversion in media. The Kerala BJP president has also opposed this action. The BJP government has been exposed in this matter. The BJP has removed this poster fearing [electoral] losses in Kerala,” Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said.

The post had been deleted because “it was not the right subject”, Somesh Pandey, co-convenor of the BJP’s IT cell in Chhattisgarh said, without elaborating further.

A couple of other BJP spokespersons also declined to comment on the matter, while the party’s State president Kiran Singh Deo was unavailable for comment.