A cartoon published by a German magazine, which depicts India's population overtaking China's, has angered several Indians, who allege that the depiction is downright racist.
The cartoon, published in the Der Spiegel magazine, shows an overcrowded train with people sitting on top holding the tricolour and a Chinese bullet train on a parallel track which is falling behind.
The cartoon purportedly highlights the technological growth of China while showcasing India's apparent lack of modern infrastructure.
The cartoon was slammed by several Indians on social media, including senior adviser to the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Kanchan Gupta and Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy V.
"Hi Germany, this is outrageously racist. Der Spiegel caricaturing India in this manner has no resemblance to reality. Purpose is to show India down and suck up to China. This is as bad if not worse than the racist cartoon in the New York Times lampooning India’s successful Mars mission," Gupta took to Twitter to say.
Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy V, on the other hand, said that the cartoon was in "bad taste."
"The western world prefers to depict India as poor and struggling. They won’t show India’s Vande Bharat or upcoming bullet trains. Cannot wait for the next few years when India will overtake Germany as the 4th biggest GDP," he said.
Several Indians also said that the cartoon depicting India's apparent lack of infrastructure was not only racist, but also misleading.
A Twitter user highlighted that in Germany, 61 percent of railway lines are electrified. In India, on the other hand, 85 percent of route kilometres are electrified and that the country aims to achieve 100 percent electrification.
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