Norwegian newspaper's 'snake-wearing' Modi cartoon sparks international controversy

A political cartoon published in Norway's leading daily newspaper Aftenposten has sparked widespread discussion and controversy in the international arena. The cartoon depicts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a snake-wearing man.

The published cartoon shows Modi standing with a fuel pump pipe that looks like a snake. An opinion piece published at the same time also called him a 'smart and somewhat annoying man'.

Soon after the cartoon was published, the issue spread on social media and generated widespread reactions. Many Indian users commented that it was a reflection of racist and colonialist mentality. They alleged that a section of the Western media has been presenting India through old stereotypes for a long time.

Indian media claims that such depictions are not new; rather, an old trend of showing India as a 'country of snakes and vipers' has been repeated in the Western media. It is known that objections to such presentations have become stronger in recent times.

An incident during Narendra Modi's visit to Norway has also come into the spotlight behind the controversy. During that visit, an online discussion started over his failure to directly answer a question from a Norwegian journalist, which later went viral on social media. Later, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs separately responded to the journalists' questions.

According to analysts, this incident has once again brought to the fore an international debate on the limits of freedom of expression, political satire and cultural sensitivity. According to them, satire is part of freedom of expression on the one hand, but on the other hand, it often takes the form of a conflict between political and cultural sensitivities.

It is worth noting that Norway currently holds the top position in the global press freedom index. On the other hand, India's position has dropped from 154 to 157 in the recent index, which is also being discussed at the international level.