BBC Documentary on Narendra Modi Archives - Lokmarg

UK MP Blackman Slams BBC Documentary On PM Modi

By LokMarg 17th February 2023

Terming BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “propaganda video” and a “disgraceful piece of shoddy journalism,” British MP Bob Blackman has said that it should never have been released and that it didn’t look at the “all-important fact” that India’s Supreme Court investigated the claims against Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 riots and found that there is not a shred of evidence to support them.

In an interview with ANI, Blackman also talked about the issue “around the review of the British Broadcasting Coropration’s (BBC) tax affairs” in the context of Income Tax department’s survey at its offices in India and said “this is nothing new and has been going on for quite sometime”.
He said there have been discussions between the Income tax authorities in India and the BBC and the broadcaster has to follow the relevant rules and regulations.

Blackman is a member of ruling Conservative and MP for Harrow East, said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Narendra Modi had done his best to try and appeal for calm during the riots.

Blackman accused the BBC documentary of casting aspersions and said it is extremely regrettable because it would seem as if there was some sort of agenda of BBC to disrupt UK-India relations. “I think that’s a great shame.”

Noting that the British government regards India as a strong friend, a strong ally and the two countries were negotiating a trade deal, he said anything that disrupts the process is extremely regrettable.

The British MP said the Indian government has done a remarkable job under PM Modi of transforming the country’s economy and it is on track to become the leading economy in the world.

Blackman said the BBC video on PM Modi was “full of innuendos” and it was produced by an external organisation and overseen by the British broadcaster.

“The so-called documentary which is more of a propaganda video, if you like in a two-part series… (was) disgraceful piece of shoddy journalism with an attack on Narendra Modi, both in his time as Chief Minister of Gujarat and then his time as Prime Minister….(was) completely full of innuendos,” the British MP said.

“It should never have been broadcast by the BBC because the BBC has a worldwide reputation. People think, oh my goodness, this must be true. But, it was produced by an external organisation, overseen by the BBC….it (documentary) is far from the truth… it actually did not look in detail into the causes for the Gujarat riots 20 years ago and it certainly didn’t look at the all important fact that the Supreme Court thoroughly investigated all the claims against Narendra Modi and found that not a shred of evidence to support them,” he added.

Bob Blackman has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Harrow East since 2010. He was Greater London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow for four years, after ousting the Labour Leader on the GLA in June 2004.

According to his website, Blackman was also a Councillor for the Preston Ward in Brent for 24 years, serving as leader of the Brent Conservatives from 1990 to 2010, before stepping down in order to stand as the Conservative candidate for Harrow East.

The UK MP said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Narendra Modi had looked to additional police resources, not only within Gujarat but beyond and eventually had called in the army to help quell the riots.

“They showed a film of him making appeals for calm and encouraging people to not to riot…. (they) put a whole series of different montages together with different people… I don’t know people involved but it was clear they had an axe to grind against Narendra Modi,” Blackman said.

The central government had last month issued directions for blocking YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’.

The Ministry of External Affairs had termed it a “propaganda piece”, saying it reflected a “colonial mindset”.

Referring to the tax survey, Blackman said BBC has to ensure “they are caught with the rules and regulations”.

“Obviously, this is a survey where the income tax authorities have looked to gather the evidence to establish if the BBC is doing anything wrong, I would say quite openly, this is the BBC’s job and operating within India, is to make sure they are caught with the rules and regulations, and I am sure it will be cleared up very quickly, but you know that’s upto the tax authorities so… (for) BBC to make sure they are caught up with the rules that operate here,” he said.

The British ruling party MP said that some sections were seeing the action as an attack on the media which according to the MP was not an accurate assessment.

“It’s a review, it is a survey….the moment there haven’t been suggestions of charges or anything like that…let the authorities operate, let the BBC act as they have done in an open and transparent way, providing access to all the records and all the information and let the tax authorities come to their conclusion. I trust that we clear up very quickly because it is for the benefit of the tax authorities and for the BBC.”

Income Tax-related surveys at BBC’s India offices started on Tuesday.

Sources had said that the Income Tax department conducted a survey at BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai in view of its “deliberate non-compliance” with the “Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits.” The survey concluded on Thursday.

Asked if the BBC documentary could in some way be reflective of the view of the British government, Blackman dismissed any such suggestion and said the BBC is not an arm of the British government.

He said the British government regards India as a strong friend and a strong ally.

“Let’s be very clear, the BBC is not an arm of the British government. In fact, the BBC is frequently critical of the British government and, actually to be fair, critical of all the British government that has been that’s their job, their job is to ask questions, to look for evidence. But the key here is you can ask questions but when there is evidence to the contrary and it’s quite clearly not the case, then you shouldn’t be casting aspersions. I think that is the difference here, which I think it is extremely regrettable because it would seem as if there was some sort of agenda of the BBC to disrupt UK-India relations,” said Bob Blackman to ANI.

Blackman said he had asked the British government of its policy and was told that BBC is an independent organisation they must do whatever they choose to do but it is not the policy of the British government.

“The British government regards India as a strong friend and a strong ally. We signed an agreement a year ago, now an agreement on security, defence and other matters and that demonstrates the goodwill between our countries. We are two countries with a shared past and tremendous future ahead of us and we are at the moment negotiating what could be an incredible free trade deal which would benefit India and the United Kingdom. So, anything that disrupts that is extremely regrettable, particularly when it’s with our foundation,” added Blackman.

He expressed hope that the documentary episode will not impact relations between India and UK.

Answering a query, he said one thing he agreed with in “the propaganda video” is the final comments which said that Narendra Modi and the BJP government will probably be re-elected next time and the time after.

“So they deserve it because the Indian government have done a remarkable job under the Narendra Modi of transforming the economy in India, leading India to become the fifth biggest economy now in the world, on track to become the leading economy in the world, by the way it is going and the most populous country in the world. We also have to celebrate that India is the biggest democracy in the world where the government can be replaced if that’s what the people decide,” said Blackman.

“From that perspective, it’s very important that we build the friendship, we build the relationship between the two countries and we do so because obviously India has the G20 role this year.”

Blackman, who has been an MP since May 2010, said, India will be welcoming the leaders of the world this year and “it’s important that we cement our good relations”.

“If we don’t, that would be detrimental to India and also to the United Kingdom,” he said. (ANI)

‘BBC Documentary Has Helped Modi Consolidate His Following’

By LokMarg 14th February 2023

Ashutosh Kumar Pandey, an avid follower of BBC services, wonders if the documentary drama was scripted by Team Narendra Modi itself! His analysis:

My association as a BBC follower goes back to my childhood, when I would listen to their radio service with my grandfather. Traditional news followers of BBC Radio like me were deeply disappointed when the service was taken down in 2011. I would regularly wrote letters to BBC and in one year when I was in Ninth Standard, 48 of my letters found mention in a total of 52 episodes aired.

That is why I became curious when I heard that BBC will stream a two-part documentary on Narendra Modi. I found the streaming link on the Internet and started watching it with much expectations. Midway, it was blacked out but I managed to watch both the episodes with a little effort.

My first reaction was: What’s new about it? Every bit of information presented in the documentary was in public domain for a long time. There were far better and more damning documentaries available on various OTT platforms. Why this mishmash of old wine in a new bottle! People have high regard for BBC content in India; they take it as the final word. Thus, the documentary was an anticlimax, a disappointment.

Then a new controversy erupted. I found why the documentary had blacked out in the middle; the Government had ordered it to be taken off air. Soon, Modi supporters started calling it a deliberate attempt by western media to launch malign Modi and therefore, also, India. They called it a misinformation campaign against the ‘Visvaguru’ image of India. They even demanded a complete ban on all BBC services in India, even filed a petition in the Supreme Court.

ALSO READ: ‘BJP Wants To Dictate What To Wear, What To Watch’

Therein lies one of the biggest ironies. These same followers had lionized Modi for his action, or the lack of it, in 2002 Gujarat riots. However, they were aghast to see the same being aired on a foreign news channel. Why? The answer is that the Bhakt mandali cherishes Modi’s image as a majoritarian Hindu nationalist domestically, but wants India to be represented on global platforms by peace-loving Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. This paradox only exposes their guilt.

Practically speaking, the documentary has helped Modi consolidate his following domestically. His fan base, I witnessed it in my circle, has succeeded in conveying the message that ‘foreign hand’ is working against Narendra Modi to stall the growth and rising status of India.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly gave two contradictory statements on the subject. He defended the independence of BBC but also spoke about UK’s diplomatic closeness with India. British PM Rishi Sunak too defended PM Modi in the UK Parliament by expressing his disagreement over Modi’s characterisation in the film. The UK government’s stand over the BBC documentary only shows how undemocratic governments stand in support of one another.

That brings me to the question: was this documentary drama scripted by Team Narendra Modi itself? BBC could have made a documentary on price rise, unemployment, etc to bring disrepute to the government. There are many issues were the Modi regime could be pushed on the back-foot. Raking up a 20-year-old incident without any context is something that I could not understand.

As told to Abhishek Srivastava

White Rulers Still Masters For Some Indians: Rijiju On BBC Docu

By LokMarg 24th January 2023

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday made a scathing attack apparently on a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has sparked controversy since its release, and said some people have still not gotten over their “colonial intoxication” and for them “whites” are still their “rulers”.

“For some people, the white rulers are still the masters whose decision on India is final and not the decision of the Supreme Court of India or the will of the people of India,” Rijiju tweeted in Hindi tagging his earlier tweet on the minority in the country, who he claimed were moving forward with positivity.

Two days back, Rijiju also said: “Some people in India still haven’t gotten over the colonial intoxication. They consider BBC above the Supreme Court of India and lower the country’s dignity and image to any extent to please their moral masters.”

Rijiju, while reacting to an opinion piece shared by a national daily, said: “Minorities, or for that matter, every community in India is moving ahead positively. India’s image cannot be disgraced by malicious campaigns launched inside or outside India. PM @narendramodi Ji’s voice is the voice of 1.4 billion Indians.”

Last week, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Modi, describing it as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative.

“We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing on January 19.

The MEA spokesperson added that the documentary is a reflection of individuals who are peddling this narrative again.

Meanwhile, in a strong response to the BBC documentary on Saturday, more than 300 eminent Indians, including retired judges, bureaucrats, and armed forces veterans signed a statement slamming the British national broadcaster for showing “unrelenting prejudice” towards India and its leader.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price responding to a media query on Monday said: “I’m not familiar with the documentary you’re referring to, however, I am very familiar with the shared values that enact the United States and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies.” (ANI)

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Munda Slams Owaisi Remarks On BBC Doc, Says SC’s Decision To Be Respected

By LokMarg 23rd January 2023

Union Minister Arjun Munda on Monday slammed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi over UK’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he should respect the Supreme Court which gave a clean chit to the then Gujarat Chief Minister.

Hitting out at PM Modi over the Centre’s move to block the BBC documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots, Owaisi questioned whether the Prime Minister would also block the upcoming movie on Godse, who assassinated MK Gandhi.
“Modi government has banned BBC interviews on Twitter and YouTube in India. We ask PM Modi whether someone from outside the earth or from the sky killed the people in the Gujarat riots?” he said.

Slamming Owaisi’s statement on PM Modi regarding the documentary, Munda said, “The country is growing under the leadership of PM Modi. But it is sad to see that people pelt more stones at the tree which bears more fruits. The country is in a stable condition and is moving forward just because of our Prime Minister.”

Citing the Supreme Court judgement on the Gujarat riots, the Minister said that the decision of the top court should be accepted by all.

“In many cases, the Supreme Court has made it clear, taking into account all the factors in its decision, it has explained what kind of people were responsible for the Gujarat riots. The Supreme Court has also clearly stated those who are innocent. What the Supreme Court has said should be respected because all things that happen in this country, the courts interpret them and give justice,” Munda said.

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.

In a strong rebuttal to the BBC documentary on 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. (ANI)

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Some People Consider BBC Above SC: Kiren Rijiju Over Documentary

By LokMarg 22nd January 2023

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday took on the “malicious campaigns” inside and outside India in connection to the UK’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said that some people “consider the BBC above the Supreme Court of India”.

The Union Minister alleged that they “lower” the country’s dignity and image to any extent to “please their moral masters”.
Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said that minorities in the country are moving ahead positively.

“Minorities, or for that matter every community in India is moving ahead positively. India’s image cannot be disgraced by malicious campaigns launched inside or outside India. PM @narendramodi Ji’s voice is the voice of 1.4 billion Indians,” Rijiju tweeted.

“Some people in India still haven’t gotten over the colonial intoxication. They consider BBC above the Supreme Court of India and lower the country’s dignity and image to any extent to please their moral masters,” the Minister added (roughly translated from Hindi).

He said that there is no hope from these people whose “only aim is to weaken India”.

“Anyway, there is no better hope from these tukde tukde gang members whose only aim is to weaken the might of India,” Rijiju tweeted.

Earlier, former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Sanjeev Tripathi slammed UK’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it “prejudiced, biased and full of factual errors”.

He added that the documentary needs to be condemned by everyone.

Speaking to ANI, Tripathi questioned the BBC’s intent behind the documentary on PM Modi, which he said seems ‘motivated’. He said the documentary features the 2002 Gujarat riots and the Godhra train burning incident, which preceded it, adding that the Supreme Court recently gave PM Modi a clean chit in the case.

“This documentary of BBC, which claims to examine the so-called tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India, and in that context, talks about again the so-called controversial policies of Prime Minister Modi, is not only prejudiced but is also biased and full of factual errors,” he said.

In a strong response to the BBC documentary, more than 300 eminent Indians, including retired judges, bureaucrats, and armed forces veterans signed a statement slamming the British national broadcaster for showing “unrelenting prejudice” towards India and its leader. (ANI)

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Five Things That Happened Last Week (And What to Make of Them)

By Sanjoy Narayan 22nd January 2023

Jacinda Ardern and the fine art of exiting office

The MP, former minister and Congress Party leader, Jairam Ramesh, who will turn 70 next year, posted an interesting tweet on his timeline the other day. News had broken about New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, 42, who had announced that she was stepping down from her post as the country’s leader on account of what can be described as burnout. Announcing her decision, Ardern had said: “I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also one of the more challenging. You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.”

Ramesh’s tweet lauded that decision and said: “Legendary cricket commentator, Vijay Merchant once said about retiring at the peak of his career: Go when people ask why is he going instead of why isn’t he going. Kiwi PM, Jacinda Ardern has just said she is quitting following Merchant’s maxim. Indian politics needs more like her.” Great point, that, about Indian politics. The thing, however, is that in his own party, the recently elected president, Mallikarjun Kharge is 80; and although she has stepped down from the president’s position, Sonia Gandhi who continues to be the real supremo of the party is 76 and keeps indifferent health. What’s more, her son, Rahul, who enjoys the privilege of being a sort of on-and-off leader of the party is 52 and is considered to be young and still evolving.

But then that is the story of Indian politics. India is a young country but its politicians are old, many of them dodderingly so. In 2022, the median age of an Indian was 28.7 years, compared to 38.4 for China and 48.6 for Japan. Yet, even though 65% of Indians are below the age of 35, the average age of its MPs has been over 50 for decades. And, typically, the so-called “young” nation’s leaders have been pretty old. Take, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Next September, he will turn 73. And, although the average age of his council of ministers has dropped from 61 to 58, most of his key ministerial colleagues are 60-plus. Contrast that with the fact that government officers in India have to retire at 58 or 60; Supreme Court judges at 65; and high court judges at 62.

Let’s go back to New Zealand. Ardern, who has indicated that burnout is the main reason she is hanging up her boots has, since she assumed office in 2017, handled several big challenges (albeit in a small country with a population of around 5 million) including a terror attack, the global pandemic, a volcanic explosion and so on. She also had a daughter during her term and created ripples when she brought her to the United Nations during an official visit. Yet, at 42, she has decided that it is time to call it quits.

Calling it quits is, however, not in the DNA of most Indian political leaders and even bureaucrats. Most of them are unable to reconcile to a life without the trappings of power. That is why we see fair numbers of bureaucrats jockeying into politics when their official bureaucratic tenures reach the end. Many, with the right sycophantic credentials, end up as governors of states or head commissions or secure similar sinecures where the perks and status that they enjoyed during their earlier careers can still be somewhat intact.

So Ramesh (the tweeting politician mentioned before) is quite right actually. Indian politics needs more people like Ardern who don’t cling on to power after their fizz has turned flat. But then the onus for doing so is with people like him and his ilk.

New BBC docu on Modi raises hackles

A new two-part BBC documentary, titled ‘India: The Modi Question’, has, among other things, shows that a hitherto secret British government investigation into the 2002 Gujarat riots, which left over 1,000 people dead, found that Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat was “directly responsible” for the communal violence that had ravaged the state. The investigation, according to the BBC documentary, also found that the extent of the violence was much greater than what was reported and that the motive behind the riots was to purge Muslims.

While in the years after the riots rocked Gujarat, Indian courts have dismissed allegations against Modi and his then government in Gujarat, the shadow of the Gujarat riots and widespread violence against Muslims during that period has been haunting him and his former colleagues, notably the Union home minister Amit Shah who was also Gujarat’s home minister in 2002.

The BBC documentary was briefly streamed on YouTube but later yanked from the platform. Now it can be watched only on the BBC iPlayer that works within the UK and not outside that demarcated geography. Predictably, the documentary has been divisive. The official reaction of the Indian government has been to label it as propaganda that smacks of “a colonial mindset” and an anti-India stance by the British prime minister Rishi Sunak in order to prove his British loyalty. Liberal and left-leaning circles, however, have lauded the BBC for its investigative efforts to get to the truth behind the riots and the involvement of Modi and his government in Gujarat then. Meanwhile, in case you are wondering, much of India’s mainstream media have sided with the government’s view on the documentary.

Perhaps older politicians are better for India

Lakya Suryanarayana Tejasvi Surya, 32, is an Indian politician, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organisation, and a BJP MP in Parliament. He is also famously the man who opened the emergency exit door of an airplane while on board. Luckily, it did not lead to a disaster. Surya is believed to have said that his hand accidentally touched the handle of the emergency door and it opened.

To anyone who has flown on an aircraft, the emergency exit door usually is not touch sensitive. Also, opening it when a plane is not in an emergency situation is unlawful. Surya’s party colleague and aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, however, made light of what could have been a disastrous thing by saying: “It’s important to look at the facts. The door was opened by him by mistake when the flight was on the ground and after all checks, the flight was allowed to take off. He also apologised for the mistake.”

As far as we know, Surya has not been censured or has had to pay for his “mistake”. Life goes on as normal for him as it usually does for most privileged members of India’s power elite when they break the law. But, (and see the segment on Jacinda Ardern above) perhaps India needs older, greying and wiser politicians rather than whippersnappers whose hands can wander when they are sitting in an aircraft.

Women wrestlers accuse coaches of sexual harassment

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, 66, is a six-time MP and head of the Wrestling Federation of India. He has also been recently accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers for many years. Women and men wrestlers who have been staging protests have alleged that Singh as well as coaches at the national camp for wrestling in Lucknow have been exploiting women wrestlers systematically.

Singh and others have, for the moment, denied the allegations but as investigations get going the truth will, hopefully, emerge. For a long time women in Indian sports have been discriminated against and this is not the first time that allegations of exploitation have been made. However, it is the first major concerted protest against people in power in India’s sports arena. One hopes that others will be inspired by such protests to open up about similar instances in other sports.

Google, ChatGPT and the imminent battle over AI-powered bots

I asked ChatGPT, a chat bot developed by OpenAI, an American artificial intelligence lab, which has become a big craze around the world: “What is Google Deep Learning?” In seconds, the bot replied: “Google Deep Learning refers to the various deep learning technologies and services developed by Google, such as TensorFlow and the Google Brain team. These technologies and services are used for a wide range of applications, including image and speech recognition, natural language processing, and predictive analytics. Google has also developed various deep learning models and algorithms, such as the Google Neural Machine Translation system and the Google DeepMind AlphaGo program, which have achieved significant breakthroughs in their respective fields.”

The reason why I asked ChatGPT that question was because of the imminent competition that it might face. Even as ChatGPT becomes a rage (it can answer any question as long as it pertains to pre-2021; it can write essays; create lyrics for songs; and almost everything that a human can do), Google, which has a subsidiary called DeepMind, is believed to be working on a ChatGPT killer that it claims to be better, faster and safer than ChatGPT. Must ask ChatGPT what it thinks of that!

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Modi Docu: UK Hindu Forum Says Disappointed With BBC Bias

By LokMarg 21st January 2023

The Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) has stated that it is disappointed with the BBC’s ‘anti-Hindu bias’, adding that the country’s national broadcaster lacked judgment in airing the programme, which has the potential to cause untold damage at a time when “communities, police and ordinary people in Leicester and other cities are trying to rebuild relationships, trust and harmony after the events of Summer 2022.”

In a letter to Deborah Turness, CEO of BBC News, HFB wrote, “In this 100th year of broadcasting at the BBC the core ethos of impartial reporting appears to have been sadly lost in the content of INDIA: The Modi Question. The Hindu community has in large numbers communicated to us the insensitivity and lack of judgment the BBC has exercised in airing a programme which has the potential to cause untold damage at a time when communities, police and ordinary people in Leicester and other cities are trying to rebuild relationships, trust and harmony after the events of Summer 2022.”

The Hindu Forum of Britain is an organisation of British Hindus, with more than 300 member organisations from around the country. HFB is the first port of call from the central government and the most reported Hindu organisation in the British media.

The letter also mentioned BBC’s Annual Report 2021/22, which states, ‘Renewing our commitment to impartiality’ and said that impartiality is fundamental to the trust that audiences have in the BBC.

“It is the cornerstone of who we are and what we do, and the reason we are valued as an independent voice throughout the world. Impartiality has never been easy, but our audiences are right to expect the highest possible standards,” the letter read.

“This preposterous ill-advised production and airing of a Hindu hate piece could well be the ammunition thugs need to go out and target Hindus. Does the BBC not have any responsibility? The program itself was unbalanced and inaccurate. Any loss of life must be condemned. 59 Hindus were brutally burnt alive and several suffered life-changing burns when an organised mob burnt coach S-6 of a train with Hindu pilgrims on board in 2002. This, and only this killing of innocent men, women and children was the trigger point for what happened subsequently by way of disturbances in Gujarat but very little air time was given to this,” the letter stated further.

In the letter, HFB also said the Supreme Court of India had cleared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name from the Gujarat riots. The Hindu Forum of Britain value the UK-INDIA trade, education and cultural ties and hopes that despite attempts to damage this by defaming the elected leader of the world’s largest democracy, it will remain intact and flourish.

“One of the biggest strengths of our NHS is the dedication and professionalism of doctors and nurses from India. Today, HFB has heard voices of disgust about the biased nature of the programme from all sections of the community,” the letter added.

The HFB expressed repulsion at the total lack of understanding of Hindu sentiments by the BBC. “BBC should be a cause for good. Any broadcast which stokes disharmony amongst communities and damages years of good work which the Hindu Forum of Britain and other organizations do to bring communities together is despicable,” it said.

“We can only hope that part 2 of the programme will redress the balance and go some way to restoring our TRUST in the BBC. We remain hopeful. We await a swift and comprehensive response to our concerns,” the HFB said in the letter.

Earlier on Thursday, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing it as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative.

“We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing.

The MEA spokesperson added that the documentary is a reflection of individuals that are peddling this narrative again. (ANI)

Ex-Diplomats On BBC Docu: Bid To Destroy India-UK Ties

By LokMarg 21st January 2023

Less than a week into the release of the first part of the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former envoys and other eminent Indians have come down heavily on what they describe as blatant interference in India’s internal affairs and an attempt to destroy India-UK bilateral relations.

Speaking with ANI, former Indian envoy to the Netherlands, Bhaswati Mukherjee said the BBC has a troubled record dealing with India because it appears to have a colonial mindset with regard to the country.

“This particular documentary of two parts was a visible example of the fact that although it is public broadcasting service, it does these programmes that are highly discriminatory, interferes in our internal affairs and are funded by private partners and not the British government,” she said.

“BBC is trying to interfere in internal affairs just one year before the general elections in India and also trying to pull down their own PM who rebutted these series and his government is trying to conclude an FTA with us (India). It completely spoils the atmosphere of the negotiations of FTA,” she told ANI.

UK’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a two-part series attacking PM Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.

In a strong response to the BBC documentary, 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.

Eminent Indians have 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.

Former ambassador to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri told ANI that there is no factual reporting in the BBC documentary at all and pointed out how it “keeps talking about allegedly this, reportedly that” while ignoring the decisions of the Indian judiciary.

“The Supreme Court of India has monitored a special investigative report which took several years and the case went on from the lower court to the high court to the Supreme Court to the Special Investigative Team. It is a meticulously monitored and detailed investigation and the 452-page judgement of the Supreme Court has completely exonerated Prime Minister Modi and has explained how the incident took place,” she said.

Ambassador Sikri contended that BBC has completely destroyed its credibility by bringing about such a documentary. She even highlighted that British Prime Minister has rebutted attempts by certain members of parliament and the other British members of parliament have completely criticised BBC.

Furthermore, the former envoy said BBC is “trying to whip up a kind of anti-Indian feeling trying to destroy relationships within India, destroy relationships within the UK and destroy the relationship between India and the UK.”

Similarly, defence expert PK Sehgal believes that this BBC documentary is an “Anglo-Saxon ploy to demolish PM Modi before the 2024 election.”

“They will use print, and social media to target PM Modi. BBC had ruined its credibility like with coming out of this series. Whatever little beliefs that people had on the credibility of BBC, it is gone to an absolute zero. There are no ethics involved,” he said.

Sehgal said that BBC is bent on blaming PM Modi for perpetuating the riots in Gujarat even after Indian Supreme Court constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) exonerated PM Modi long back.

“The western world wants to find fault with Modi and unfortunately for them, the more they indulge in this, the greater will be the belief of the Indian people that Modi is something that is absolutely essential for India to progress,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a “propaganda piece” designed to push a discredited narrative. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing.

The MEA spokesperson said the documentary is a reflection of individuals that are peddling this narrative again. (ANI)