Amidst the backdrop that India is set to become the most populous nation in the world surpassing China’s population, a “racist” cartoon published by German magazine Der Spiegel to depict the demographic change has irked Indians.
The cartoon shows an overloaded train with people sitting atop it holding a tricolour while a Chinese bullet train is seen behind on another track. The illustration appears to be highlighting China's technological advancement while depicting India with crumbling infrastructure.
Anshul Saxena, who has over a million followers on Twitter, pointed out that although Germany was mocking India in the cartoon, 61 percent of railway lines are electrified, and the country plans to electrify 75 percent of rail network by 2030. While in India, 85 percent of route kilometers electrified and the Railways are set to achieve 100 percent electrification.
Also reacting to the cartoon, National Vice President BJP Baijayant Jay Panda said, “In German, the name of 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 this race baiting publication to hold a mirror to its conscience”.
Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegel. Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India, it’s not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji. In a few years India’s economy will be bigger than germany’s”.
Note: Based on the projections, India's population by mid-year will reach 1.4286 billion, compared to China's 1.4257 billion – 2.9 million fewer – according to the United Nations Population Fund's “State of World Population Report” for 2023 released on April 19.
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