Argentine news channel, Cronica TV has come under fire for being racist. The media outlet announced the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Buenos Aires for the G20 summit with the photo of a character in the American show The Simpson, Apu. They aired the photo of Modi with the caption 'Apu arrives' garnering backlash from viewers.

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is an Indian shopkeeper in the Simpson series since 1990. It is voiced by Hank Azaria, a white actor, who talks for the character in a heavy Indian accent. Apu's character has been on scrutiny multiple times in the past. Simpsons has often created a stir with their different political takes on issues and topics. The character Apu is among one which has received flak by Indian viewers for being stereotypical. G20 Summit 2018: PM Narendra Modi Holds Trilateral Talks 'JAI' With Donald Trump And Shinzo Abe on The Sidelines of Global Event.

In 2017, Indian-American comic Hari Kondabolu made a documentary about the character arguing that Apu's character was based on racial stereotypes. As Cronica's depiction of the Indian PM went viral, Kondabolu tweeted, "This couldn't be true, right?"

Many Indians tweeted saying that it was disrespectful of the channel to compare a country's Prime Minister to an animation series character. Social media users stated that the Indian PM should be addressed with respect like any other dignitaries.

Cronica TV referring to Narendra Modi as Apu:

Here is Hari Kondabolu's tweet:

Modi is on a five-day visit to Argentina to attend G20 summit. The summit is slated for November 30- December 1 and the PM is to return on Sunday. World leaders including US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also attended G20 in Argentina.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 01, 2018 05:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).