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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amrit Dhillon in Delhi

Indian ministers rebuke Der Spiegel for ‘racist’ cartoon mocking population size

India Der Spiegel Narendra Modi China Baijayant Panda United Nations
People walking in a market in Jalandhar India
The cartoon was published as India’s population surpasses China for the first time, according to United Nations projections. Photograph: Shammi Mehra/AFP/Getty Images

A cartoon in the German magazine Der Spiegel poking fun at India as it becomes more populous than China has been castigated as “racist” by Indian ministers.

The cartoon shows a rickety old Indian train packed with people and swarms of passengers atop it. On a parallel track, a sleek Chinese bullet train is seen with just two drivers, looking surprised at the sight of the Indian train.

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