London [UK], January 19 (ANI): Lord Rami Ranger, a member of House of Lords of UK Parliament on Wednesday slammed BBC over new series attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Condemning the biased reporting of BBC, he tweeted, “@BBCNews You have caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians. It insults a democratically elected@PMOIndia Indian Police & the Indian judiciary. We condemn the riots and loss of life & also condemn your biased reporting.”
The British broadcaster came under fire over its two-part series “India: The Modi Question” on BBC Two. It stated, “A look at the tensions between Indian PM Narendra Modi and India’s Muslim minority, investigating claims about his role in 2002 riots that left over a thousand dead.”
The series will examine how “Narendra Modi’s premiership has been dogged by persistent allegations about the attitude of his government towards India’s Muslim population” and “a series of controversial policies” implemented by Modi following his 2019 re-election, including “the removal of Kashmir’s special status guaranteed under Article 370” and “a citizenship law that many said treated Muslims unfairly”, which “has been accompanied by reports of violent attacks on Muslims by Hindus,” the BBC stated.
Taking a potshot at the biased reporting, many people of Indian origin suggested BBC run a series on the 1943 Bengal famine, which resulted in the deaths of some three million people due to malnutrition or disease. One of them on Twitter suggested BBC run a series on the Bengal Famine called “UK: The Churchill Question.”
Then UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as part of the western war effort, ordered the diversion of food from starving Indians to already well-supplied British soldiers and stockpiles in Britain and Europe.
Meanwhile, another Twitter user advised BBC to focus on UK problems given Britain has fallen behind India on almost parameters.
Recently, India became the fifth-largest economy in the world beating the United Kingdom and is set to be the third-largest economy by the end of the decade. Now India is just behind four countries in terms of the size of the economy in terms of dollar terms. The countries whose economy size is bigger than India are – the United States, China, Japan and Germany. The UK is now behind India in the sixth position. Earlier, PM Modi said that the government aims to take the country to the list of top three world economies.
Govt blocks YouTube videos, tweets sharing BBC documentary on PM Modi
New Delhi [India], January 21 (ANI): Multiple YouTube videos sharing the first episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question” have been blocked as per the directions issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, sources said on Saturday.
Along with YouTube videos, the Centre has also directed Twitter to block over 50 tweets containing links to the concerned YouTube videos.
Both YouTube and Twitter complied with the government after directions were reportedly issued by Secretary, Information and Broadcasting on Friday using the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021. UK’s National broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a two-part series attacking PM Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
On Thursday, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and the lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi during a weekly media briefing.
Even though the documentary was not made available in India by BBC in India, some YouTube channels appear to have uploaded it to promote an anti-India agenda. Sources said that YouTube has also been instructed to block the video if it is again uploaded on its platform. They added Twitter has also been directed to identify and block the tweets containing the link to the video on other platforms.
This decision was made after top government officials from across several ministries examined the documentary and found it to be an attempt to cast aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court of India and sow divisions among various Indian communities. The sources added that the documentary was accordingly found to be undermining sovereignty and integrity of India, and having the potential to adversely impact India’s friendly relations with foreign States. (ANI)
“Propaganda piece to push discredited narrative” India on BBC documentary on PM Modi
India on Thursday denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.
Addressing a weekly media briefing External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said this documentary show, based on some internal UK report, shows the colonial mindset.
“We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and the lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” Bagchi said in response to the question on the PM documentary series.
UK’s National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series attacking PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms. Prominent Indian-origin UK citizens condemned the series. Prominent UK Citizen Lord Rami Ranger said the “BBC caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians.”
The MEA spokesperson said the documentary is a reflection of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. He even raised questions on “the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it.” “The documentary is a reflection of the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it; frankly, we do wish to dignify these efforts,” he added.
Referring to apparent remarks made by former UK Secretary Jack Straw in the documentary series, Bagchi said “He (Jack Straw) seems to be referring to some internal UK report. How do I have access to that? It’s a 20-year-old report. Why would we jump on it now? Just because Jack says it how do they lend it that much legitimacy.” “I heard words like inquiry and investigations. There is a reason why we use the colonial mindset. We don’t use words loosely. What inquiry they were diplomats there…investigation, are they ruling the country? Bagchi asked. (ANI)
Eminent Indians slam BBC documentary on PM Modi, say it’s visibly motivated charge sheet against a patriot
New Delhi [India], January 21 (ANI): In a strong rebuttal to the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 300 eminent Indians including retired judges, retired bureaucrats, and retired armed forces veterans signed a statement slamming the British national broadcaster for showing “unrelenting prejudice” toward India and its leader. UK’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a two-part series attacking PM Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
Eminent Indians signed the letter which lambasted the BBC series which the signatories say “is based on delusional and evidently lopsided reporting” that presumes to question the very basis of the 75-year-old edifice of India’s existence as an independent, democratic nation.
“Yet again, the staple, dyed-in-the-wool negativity and unrelenting prejudice of the BBC toward India has resurfaced as a documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question‘. This production, the BBC claims, has been rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards, and 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” and a series of controversial policies” implemented by him,” the letter read.
The eminent Indians said this documentary is “a visibly motivated charge sheet against our leader, a fellow Indian and a patriot,” adding that they cannot allow just about anyone to run amok with their deliberate bias. “Regardless of whom you, as an individual Indian, might have voted for, the Prime Minister of India is the Prime Minister of your country, our country. We cannot allow just about anyone to run amok with their deliberate bias, their vacuous reasoning hiding behind phrases like ‘it was widely reported’ or that ‘there were pretty credible reports,” they said.
Eminent Indians pointed out that the glaring factual errors apart, the documentary reeks of motivated distortion that is as mind-numbingly unsubstantiated as it is nefarious. “This is demonstrated most vividly by its completely sidelining the core fact: that the apex judicial institution of India, the Supreme Court of India, has unambiguously ruled out any role of Shri. Modi in the Gujarat violence of 2002, while firmly rejecting allegations of complicity and inaction by the then Gujarat State government headed by Chief Minister Modi,” the letter read.
Questioning a key source of the BBC documentary, the signatories said, “there is nothing in the so-called British Foreign Office document – said to be based on a report from their High Commission in New Delhi, which was, in turn, said to be based on a report by their diplomat who visited Gujarat in 2002 that had not been earlier alleged by any number of media reports and commentaries in India in the years following 2002, apart from the allegations made by Sreekumar, Bhatt and Pandya.”
“All these allegations have been painstakingly dissected and dismissed by the Supreme Court of India. So now this resurrected accusation – contradicting the Supreme Court verdict – has to be believed only because a British media outlet has made it?” the eminent Indian asked. (ANI)
