The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released a documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question,’ on Tuesday questioning PM Modi’s leadership as the state chief minister during the 2002 Gujarat riots that killed over 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.
PM Modi’s leadership as the state CM during the 2002 Gujarat riots when violence broke out following the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Godhra. The 2002 Gujarat riots had killed over 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.
The documentary has been drawing flak from some quarters since its release.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday called it “a piece of propaganda” and “colonial mindset”.
Official spokesperson of MEA Arindam Bagchi said, “We think that this is a propaganda piece, designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible. If anything, this film or documentary is a reflection on the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of this exercise and the agenda behind it. Frankly, we don’t wish to dignify such efforts.”
On Thursday, a Pakistan-origin British MP, Imran Hussain, raised the topic in the UK parliament.
“He (PM Modi) was, in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s own words, directly responsible for this violence. Given that hundreds were brutally killed and that families across India and the world, including here in the UK, are still without justice, does the prime minister agree with his diplomats in the foreign office that Modi was directly responsible and what more does the foreign office know of his involvement in this grave act of ethnic cleansing?” MP Hussain asked.
To this, British PM Sunak replied , “Mr Speaker, the UK government’s position on this has been clear and long standing and hasn’t changed. Of course, we don’t tolerate persecution anywhere, but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterization the honorable gentleman has put forward.”
Meanwhile Supreme Court advocate and social activist Vineet Jindal filed a complaint against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Friday over a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that questions Modi’s leadership as the state CM during the 2002 Gujarat riots when violence broke out following the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Godhra.
The advocate took to Twitter and wrote, “The people of the country chose PM Modi. There is a constitutional government in the country and this act of BBC News is a conspiracy to incite Muslims against Hindus not just in India but in the world. Therefore, it can be dangerous and action should be taken against it.”
Undeterred by the opposition BBC said it was committed to highlighting important issues from around the world and the documentary series examines the “tensions between India’s Hindu majority and Muslim minority and explores the politics of India’s PM Narendra Modi in relation to those tensions”.
This has been the source of considerable reporting and interest both in India and across the world in recent years,” the spokesperson noted.
