A massive controversy has erupted over a racist cartoon published by a leading Norwegian daily targeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently visiting Norway as part of his five-nation official tour. The controversial caricature depicts Prime Minister Modi as a traditional ‘snake charmer’, but instead of a snake, he is seen holding a fuel-dispensing pipe connected to a petrol pump.
The highly offensive illustration accompanied an opinion piece penned by a prominent journalist, titled “A clever and slightly annoying man.” The cartoon has triggered intense global backlash across social media platforms, with netizens accusing Western media houses of displaying a deep-rooted colonial mindset that refuses to look beyond the outdated, stereotypical image of India as a poor and superstitious land of snake charmers.
The release of the cartoon comes amid an ongoing row over PM Modi allegedly evading questions from the local press in Norway. Following a joint press statement with the Norwegian Prime Minister, a political commentator from the newspaper hurled sharp questions at PM Modi as he was leaving the venue, asking, “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” As she shared the video on the X platform, online debates intensified, highlighting Norway’s top position in the World Press Freedom Index compared to India’s 157th rank.
Later, during a press briefing held by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, when similar questions were raised, senior Indian diplomat Sibi George delivered a strong rebuttal. He lashed out at critics, stating that one should not judge India based on a couple of reports compiled by “godforsaken, ignorant NGOs.” He added that New Delhi alone has over 200 news channels broadcasting 24/7 in English and Hindi, and emphasized that India functions under a robust constitutional framework and solid democratic institutions.
It was during this heated exchange that the snake charmer cartoon emerged, further fueling the anger of social media users. Many pointed out that such racist slurs are the ultimate weapon used by sections of the Western media when they find themselves unable to digest India’s enviable GDP growth and digital revolution. A similar controversy had broken out in 2022 when a Spanish newspaper mocked India’s economic growth using a snake charmer trope. Meanwhile, after concluding his official engagements in Norway, Prime Minister Modi has arrived in Italy.
(With inputs from MN)
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