Satish Acharya, An Overrated Cartoonist Who Is A Two-Bit Congress Propagandist
He positions himself as a satirist, a “neutral” cartoonist who allegedly questions the establishments in power through his works of art. But does he? If one takes a look at his work, right through the years, one can easily confirm that cartoonist Satish Acharya masquerades as a neutral voice while serving as a de facto propagandist for the Indian National Congress.
Far from balanced critique, his body of work only appears to be a calculated effort to shield the Congress party while obsessively lampooning its political rivals. A pattern of selective targeting, ideological omission, and conspicuous silence during Congress failures paints a damning picture of compromised integrity.
Let us take a look at each of his works, available in public domain and analyse it for “neutrality”.
Election Season Satire Or Electioneering?
When the Assembly elections for Karnataka took place, Acharya posted on his X handle that he had voted for “progressive, prosperous, and peaceful Karnataka.”
But when it came to the campaign period, he used his political cartoons to seemingly give the Congress an edge. Acharya’s cartoons conspicuously amplified Congress’s campaign promises while vilifying BJP policies. One viral cartoon juxtaposed Congress’s “Guarantee Card” — referencing free electricity and welfare schemes — against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Victim Card,” portraying the BJP as divisive for raising concerns about “Love Jihad”.
Another illustration depicted then-CM Siddaramaiah leading citizens toward “prosperity” via freebies, contrasting BJP’s rhetoric as “free fire”.
Tried To “Normalize” Wearing Hijab In Schools
He has earlier spoken against the Jihad ban in Karnataka. Acharya attempted to normalize the wearing of religious attire over school uniforms. However, his attempt was slammed by Islamists.
Mocked Hindus Over Vaccine Hesitancy While Ignoring Muslim Demand For “Halal” Vaccine
Acharya also mocked Hindus over vaccine hesitancy but avoided addressing similar concerns within the Muslim community regarding the halal status of vaccines. He shared a cartoon depicting a man asking the nurse about the ‘Gothra’ of the vaccine to match it with his horoscope, something unheard of in the Hindu community. However, he refused to make a satire on Muslims demanding for Halal vaccine.
He also mocked the PM for giving “vaccines for free” while charging taxes! Maybe he should have lived in our neighbouring countries where we know how the economy is spirallying southwards!
Some Blatant Anti-BJP Propaganda
Let us take a look at his blatant anti-BJP and anti-Modi propaganda.
Mocking PM Modi for his interview with the BBC many years ago (with Karan Thapar) where he drank water and that allegedly was a sign of him being scared, Acharya came up with a cartoon when there was talk about PM Modi’s podcast with Lex Fridman. PM Modi not only nailed the interview, it garnered massive traffic just hours after its release.
Much to Acharya’s annoyance and dismay, the podcast has 4.8 million views till date!
Ahead of the Delhi elections in 2020, Acharya shared a cartoon suggesting that the BJP is trying to frame the polls as a “Kejriwal vs Pakistan” contest.
But in doing so, he conveniently forgot a key fact: when India conducted surgical strikes against Pakistan in response to the Uri attack, it was Arvind Kejriwal himself—along with a few others—who publicly questioned the military operation and demanded proof.
The same year, Acharya published a cartoon portraying India as the reason for dragging down the global economy, pointing to policy decisions like demonetisation as the cause.
Here are some more anti-BJP cartoons which you will find aplenty but hardly a few on Congress:
In another cartoon which was supposedly pulled down after Mumbai Police interfered, it showed the BJP and various machinery of the government were hands in glove on many things and together they protected “Adani”, allegedly during the Hindenburg scandal.
In 2018, the Modi government revised the UPA-era GDP growth rates downward primarily due to a change in the base year from 2004–05 to 2011–12 and the use of updated data sources and methodologies. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) and NITI Aayog stated that the new back-series incorporated improved methods and internationally comparable standards, as per the UN’s System of National Accounts.
Key reasons for the downward revision include new data sources – for example, mining data now came from public sector annual returns instead of the Indian Bureau of Mines. In telecom, growth was recalculated using “minutes of usage” rather than subscriber numbers. The share of primary and secondary sectors increased while services declined due to revised inputs.
Critics noted the revisions came just before the 2019 elections and contradicted earlier NSC committee findings showing higher UPA growth. However, the government defended the changes as technical and non-political.
And Acharya had to come up with a cartoon!
Like his Congress leaders, Acharya also peddled the same lies claiming that PM Modi’s inclusive banking scheme was to bail out the banking frauds and NPAs.
Similarly, he spewed the same lies in the form of cartoons as Congress claimed PM Modi and the BJP themselves orchestrated the Pulwama terrorist attack in February 2019 which killed 40 of our soldiers. PM Modi vowed to take revenge and we saw Balakote strikes happen. But for Acharya and his ilk, it was an election propaganda.
He made another cartoon on the same terror attack indicating that Modi had claimed there was no major terror attack during the first Modi term. But come February 2019, the brutal attack took place and he peddled propaganda that Modi sought votes in the name of the Pulwama terror attack.
One should remind Satish Acharya that during the Congress era, there was atleast one news item about a bomb blast or a terror attack in some corner of the country. But he rather focuses on Modi and the terror attack that intelligence couldn’t foil.
Following the Balakote strikes, Congress and its supporters, especially the Leftist ecosystem peddled the same propaganda as the Pakistanis who claimed that the air strikes only destroyed trees and not terror camps as claimed by the central government. He came up with these cartoons questioning the absence of “proof” after the strikes.
Just like how leftists peddle propaganda about bad governance under Modi, Satish Acharya also rode on the Hunger Index lie to denounce PM Modi.
In 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Modi appeared on several podcasts and offered interviews to many media channels. This did not sit well with Congress supporters and people like Satish Acharya had to make fun of it.
Here’s another one – it looks very much like pure hate for a man who is working for the country round the clock.
One would wonder if he made anything about Rahul Gandhi’s interviews and press conferences where he has had senior Congress leaders like Jairam Ramesh prompt him when asked a question by the reporters. But Acharya stays true to his idols, he would not make any derogatory cartoons on them.
In another post mocking PM Modi’s recent (2025) visit to the US and the time when he met the press along with POTUS Donald Trump, there were questions aimed at PM Modi that were needless and felt wanton. Acharya had to amplify this.
Love is blind but it cannot be as blind as the Congress supporters have for their leader and party. Only people like Satish Acharya seemed to assume that the farmer protests were “peaceful” and it was PM Modi who was causing division. Well, we all know the outcome of these protests and how they went on for more than a year.
Praising Rahul Gandhi For Meeting People & Denouncing PM Modi
Following the Hathras incident, Manipur riots, NEET related issues, Rahul Gandhi seemed to be hopping everywhere meeting people and this Acharya claims is the job of a PM while Modi did nothing allegedly. Maybe Acharya doesn’t know which jurisdiction falls under who when one is in power.
By the way, did Acharya question why Rahul Gandhi flew off to Bangkok to party following the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai? Selective amnesia and blindness, you see!
Like a true Congress stooge, Acharya was disillusioned by his leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra which he thought will help bring back his dear party to power in the country. Well, condolences!
Satish Acharya also seemed to be throwing a fit when his dearest leader Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to go to Sambhal. So, he had to vent his frustration by making a cartoon.
Remember the time when PM Modi’s pinstriped suit hit the headlines in 2016 and a few years later, people questioned why Rahul Gandhi wore expensive branded t-shirts during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Now Acharya is so smart, he connected the two to show that PM Modi’s suit was much more expensive that the paltry ₹41000 Burberry branded white tee.
Because that is how he can show who he is loyal to!
Yet another case of unconditional love for his leader and the t-shirt wearing brave dude was displayed too.
Followers, rather Bhakts, like him were so much in awe that Rahul the great could weather the cold with just that t-shirt on, what a superhero!
All this is to undo those rare weak moments when Satish Acharya and his ilk could have questioned Rahul Gandhi, or did they?
In a cartoon shared 8 years ago, we wonder if Acharya was happy that Rahul Gandhi was elected unopposed as the Congress President as he had his mother’s hand over him.
Instances Where Blind Hate For Narendra Modi Is Exhibited
Here are a few instances where plain hate for the man, our PM Modi resulted in vicious cartoons from the “neutral” satirist.
And how could he let go of the chance to mock the RSS background of our PM. In this cartoon, he has depicted that and also alleged that Modi uses WhatsApp to get his information – the infamous “WhatsApp University” jibe.
Mocking UP CM Yogi Adityanath
In January 2022, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that the upcoming state elections would be an “80% versus 20%” contest, claiming that 80% of voters support BJP’s agenda of nationalism, good governance, and development, while 20% are habitual opponents. The Opposition, including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), alleged that the remark was a communal dog whistle targeting Muslims, who make up around 20% of the state’s population. They accused Adityanath and the BJP of stoking religious divisions for electoral gain just before the model code of conduct was enforced.
Acharya had to make a cartoon on this where he claimed 80% comprised of the rich and 20%, the poor! Creativity ka bhi seema hoti hai!
Claimed UP CM Yogi Adityanath was painting the entire state saffron after news was reported that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was having government buildings across the state painted in saffron—particularly targeting sections that were previously green. Notable examples include state transport buses, the Haj office, and even the Chief Minister’s own office.
Mocking Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Death
When former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away, Acharya came up with a cartoon which seemed to use the moment to glorify Nehru instead. Viewers found it either a veiled jibe at the BJP or a confusing tribute, with Acharya later offering an explanation. The cartoon allegedly referenced Nehru’s old remark predicting Vajpayee’s future as PM, leading to interpretations that Vajpayee owed his rise to Nehru.
Critics slammed it as either a veiled jab at the BJP or an unclear tribute lacking sensitivity. The cartoonist had to issue an explanation clarifying his intent—which many found to be condescending.
The backlash raised questions not just about bias, but also about the cartoon’s taste, timing, and overall quality.
Congress Censorship And Acharya’s Complicity
In 2016, Congress pressured Acharya to remove the below cartoon critiquing then-Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi.
After municipal authorities — allegedly at Congress’s behest — forced him to withdraw the cartoon from public hoardings, Acharya tweeted, “This skeleton says a lot about Congress’s priorities” but stopped short of direct criticism.
Bengaluru Stampede Following RCB Win
For all the cartoons he has made on stampedes before, especially the Kumbh Mela one where he pointed directly to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, one would assume Acharya would probably question the Congress government for their shoddy crowd management. But what did Acharya do? He came up with words instead of art. He wrote on his X handle following the stampede that killed over 11 people injuring more than 50 – “The govt should’ve anticipated this madness looking at last night’s frenzy and should’ve made proper arrangements or suggested a different date for the parade. Totally irresponsible! Sad to see so many innocent lives lost.”
After backlash, he came up with a cartoon that did not blame the Congress government but seemed to blame RCB.
When people started reminding him in the comments about how he blamed Yogi Adityanath for the Kumbh Mela stampede, he came up with a few more.
In a cartoon for TNM wannabe South First, probably because he was asked by the editors, he brought the political establishment into the picture.
Acharya did something similar when the need arose to raise questions against the administration in Karnataka. However, these are the times that people like Acharya seem to swallow adhesive and focus on using words. On 19 March 2024, the same cartoonist who voted for progressive Congress and made a positive cartoon on the free electricity freebie was complaining of frequent power cuts. He wrote on his X handle, “ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @siddaramaiah ಸರ್, lots of children & youngsters are preparing for exams. And in this part of Karnataka(not sure about other parts), there’s been frequent power cuts. Last Sunday, there was a power cut from 11 am till 7.30 PM. Today, no power for the whole day(Tuesdays are known for regular power cuts, but can’t that be avoided during exam time?) Please remember that most families can’t afford inverter or generator. Please be compassionate towards students.”
Acharya could have very well made a satire on the power cuts in Karnataka. But he chose to use words to “speak” about the problem.
Propaganda Disguised As Art
Acharya’s career reflects a calculated duality: posing as an independent satirist while furthering Congress-aligned narratives. His selective outrage, ideological omissions, and tolerance for Congress censorship reveal a pattern indistinguishable from party propaganda. While he occasionally criticizes Congress to maintain plausible deniability, his work overwhelmingly services a partisan agenda, leveraging satire’s credibility to mask ideological bias.
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