'Outrageously racist': Indians slam German magazine for cartoon on India's population overtaking China

Indians have slammed German magazine Der Spiegel for its "outrageously racist" cartoon depicting India's population overtaking China. The United Nations (UN) recently published a report according to which India is on its way to becoming the world's most populous country, overtaking China with almost 3 million more people by July.  

Days after the report, the German magazine Der Spiegel published a cartoon in which it showed an overloaded train with people sitting atop it holding a tricolour while a Chinese bullet train is seen on a separate track. The illustration appeared to be highlighting China's advancement while depicting India with poor infrastructure. 

The cartoon did not go down well with many Indians, who called it "outrageously racist". Sharing the cartoon, Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, said Der Spiegel caricaturing of India in this manner had no resemblance to reality. He said the purpose was to show India down "and suck up" to China. 

"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."

YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy V said the cartoon by the German magazine was "in bad taste". He said the Western world preferred 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 wrote on Twitter.

Sarvesh Kaushal, former chief secretary of Punjab, called the cartoon "obnoxious" and wondered why the West never misses any chance to hist India. "No politics, but an uncalled for obnoxious #cartoon against Indian national pride by #Der #Spiegel. Why is the developed world not missing any opportunity to hit India below its belt, and demean its people? They have a reason to worry: they are basking on old glory while dark...," he said.

BJP's National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda slammed the German magazine and said it should change its name from Der Spiegel to "Rassistischer Troll". "In German, the name of the influential magazine Der Spiegel means The Mirror. But going by this derogatory, racist cartoon, it should change its name to Rassistischer Troll. & considering Germany’s difficult history involving racism & the holocaust, Germans everywhere should force...," he wrote on Twitter.

In 2014, The New York Times (NYT) published a cartoon that mocked India after the country's space agency ISRO successfully put the Mangalyaan robotic probe into orbit around Mars.  NYT's cartoon showed a farmer with a cow knocking at the door of a room marked Elite Space Club, where two men were reading a newspaper on India's historic feat. The cartoon created a huge uproar following which NYT apologised.