Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday for the ongoing G20 Summit and an Argentinian news channel believed it best to welcome him with a racist ad. Instigating the wrath of several social media users, Cronica TV used the headline “Apu Arrives” with visuals of an Air India aircraft landing in Buenos Aires. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a popular character from the animation series 'The Simpson', and has since forever been at the centre of debates for being a racial stereotype.
The character, voiced by Hank Azaria, is a store owner with multiple kids. Several Twitter users have reacted angrily to the comparison, accusing the channel of racism and stereotyping. Indian-American comic Hari Kondabolu who had made a documentary about racial undertones in Apu's character, also slammed the news channel for the comparison. He tweeted, “This couldn't be true, right?”
Modi meanwhile, has arrived for the G20 Summit and has already held trilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Japan's PM Shinzo Abe and separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. He also held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
