London: In a recent session of the British Parliament, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from a BBC documentary series that criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 Gujarat riots . The series, which was aired by the UK’s national broadcaster, drew outrage and condemnation from prominent Indian-origin UK citizens as well as the Indian government.
UK PM Rishi Sunak defends PM Modi in British Parliament
When Pakistani-origin MP Imran Hussain raised the issue of the controversial documentary in the British Parliament, Prime Minister Sunak said, “The UK government’s position on this has been clear and long-standing and has not changed. Certainly, we do not.” ” Harassment, wherever it may be seen, cannot be tolerated, but I am not sure that I fully agree with the characterization of the honorable gentleman.”
UK government PM Rishi Sunak criticized the BBC report:
UK PM Rishi Sunak dismissed Pakistani-origin British MP Imran Hussain from appearing in the House in connection with an allegation against PM Modi, which was organized by the BBC. pic.twitter.com/Uu3O72g1tU
— (@kapilkumaran) January 19, 2023
Prominent Indian-origin UK citizen Lord Rami Ranger condemned the series, saying that it had “caused great harm to over a billion Indians” and insulted the democratically elected Indian Prime Minister, the police and the judiciary. Ranger took to Twitter to express his disapproval, saying, “@BBCNews you have done great harm to over a billion Indians. This is an insult to the democratically elected @PMOIndia Indian Police and the Indian Judiciary. We condemn the riots and loss of life.” Condemn. And also condemn your biased reporting.
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The Foreign Office also issued a statement reacting to the BBC report, calling it a “completely biased copy” and a “propaganda piece” “without any objectivity”. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also raised questions about the “objective of the exercise and the agenda behind it”. He further added, “The documentary is a reflection of the agency and individuals who are retelling this narrative. It makes us wonder about the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it. Clearly, we want to dignify these efforts.” want.” ,
The documentary, which has been removed from select platforms, has sparked a heated debate about the media’s role in shaping public perception.
(With ANI inputs)