New Delhi: A big Norwegian newspaper published a storyboard well-nigh Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over which a big controversy has now arisen. In the newspaper, PM Modi was shown as a snake charmer. People expressed strong displeasure over this storyboard on social media and tabbed it racist.
How was PM Modi shown in the cartoon?
In a storyboard published in the Norwegian newspaper 'Aftenposten', an object like a petrol pipe was shown in PM Modi's hand, which was given the shape of a snake. This storyboard was published withal with an opinion article. Many said it promoted the old Western mindset of India stuff a “land of snake charmers”.
How did people react on social media?
After the storyboard surfaced, people's wrongness erupted on social media. Many users described it as “open racism”. People said that the media of western countries still looks at India from the old colonial perspective. Some users wrote that India has now progressed in technology and innovation, but still such thinking is stuff shown.
What other controversies happened during PM Modi's visit to Norway?
The controversy escalated remoter when journalist Helle Ling tried to ask questions to PM Modi during a printing event in Norway. The journalist asked why questions from the media were not taken in the printing priming and moreover raised questions well-nigh the self-rule of the printing in India. However, PM Modi did not requite any wordplay on this.
What was the response from the Indian government?
While answering these questions, senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs, Sibi George, secure the strength of India's democracy and media. He said that it is not right to understand a big country like India on the understructure of some reports. He said that there are hundreds of news channels and strong democratic institutions in India, which requite full right to the people to express their views.
Has such a controversy arisen before?
This is not the first time that a foreign media organisation has been accused of showing India in an old inobtrusive perspective. Even in the year 2022, a Spanish newspaper had used the image of a “charmer” in news related to India's economic progress, which caused a lot of controversy. PM Modi has moreover said many times in his speeches that older the world used to undeniability India a “country of snake charmers”, but now India has wilt a country of “mouse charmers” i.e. a country that is moving superiority in technology.
