British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded to the controversial BBC documentary about Narendra Modi...
Digital Desk: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak separated himself from the BBC documentary series while defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the British Parliament, claiming he "doesn't agree with the characterisation" of his Indian counterpart.
Sunak made these comments in response to a contentious documentary brought in the British Parliament by Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain.
"Of course, we don't tolerate persecution wherever it arises, but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterisation that the honourable gentleman has put up," Sunak said in response to Hussain's inquiry about the BBC report.
The BBC's national broadcaster in the United Kingdom ran a two-part programme slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The documentary provoked uproar and was pulled from several platforms.
The series was denounced by prominent Indian-origin UK individuals. Lord Rami Ranger, a prominent UK citizen, stated that the "BBC inflicted a huge deal of pain to over a billion Indians."
Rami condemned the BBC's biased reporting, tweeting, "@BBCNews Over a billion Indians have suffered as a result of your actions. It is an affront to a democratically elected Indian police force and the Indian judiciary. We deplore the rioting and deaths, as well as your skewed reportage."
The Ministry of External Affairs also responded to the BBC piece, claiming that it is a completely skewed copy.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated during a weekly briefing in New Delhi, "We believe this is a propaganda piece. This has no objectivity. This is slanted. It should be noted that this has not yet been shown in India. We don't want to elaborate on this so that it loses its dignity."
He even questioned "the objective of the exercise and the intent behind it."
"The documentary is a mirror of the agency and persons who are peddling this narrative once more. It makes us wonder about the goal of the exercise and the motive behind it; simply, we would like to honour these efforts" He said.
Alluding to apparent allegations made by former UK Secretary Jack Straw in the documentary series, Bagchi remarked "He (Jack Straw) seems to be referring to some internal UK study. How do I get my hands on it? It's a report from 20 years ago. Why would we do it now? "How do they give it that much credence just because Jack says it?"
"I heard phrases like investigation and inquiry. We utilise the colonial mindset for a reason. We don't use words carelessly. What investigation were they conducting there as diplomats...investigation, are they governing the country? Bagchi inquired.
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