The documentary was blocked in India shortly after its release.
Gandhinagar:
The Gujarat assembly on Friday passed a resolution calling on the Center to take strict action against the BBC for tarnishing the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his documentary on the 2002 riots in the state.
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s controversial two-part series entitled ‘India: The Modi Question’ misrepresents the events of 2002 in a malicious and despicable attempt to tarnish India’s image worldwide, said Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vipul Patel in the House while moving the resolution.
The documentary claims to have examined certain aspects of the riots, which took place after the burning incident in Godhra when Prime Minister Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.
The documentary was blocked in India shortly after its release.
Mr Patel’s resolution was supported by BJP MLA’s Manisha Vakil, Amit Thaker, Dhavalsinh Zala and minister Harsh Sanghavi.
It passed by vote in the absence of Congressional MLAs who were evicted from the House earlier in the day.
After passing the resolution unanimously, chairman Shanker Chaudhary said the BBC’s attempt is “reprehensible” and “strongly condemned”.
“India is a democratic country and freedom of expression is at the core of the constitution, but that does not mean that news media can abuse that freedom,” said Mr Patel while introducing the private members’ resolution in the second session of the House.
“If anyone behaves or acts like this (BBC), then it cannot be taken lightly. The BBC is losing its credibility and seems to be working with some hidden agenda against India and the Indian government. That is why this House calls on the central government to take strict action against the baffling findings in the BBC documentary,” Mr Patel said in the Assembly.
Through the documentary, there is a deliberate attempt to “stain Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image and popularity” with an agenda to influence the country’s intention to find a top position globally, Patel said.
He claimed that opposition parties in other countries support the government at such times, but that is not the case in India, where international organizations such as the BBC were empowered to carry out activities against the country.
The Nanavati-Shah Commission after thorough investigation concluded that the burning of carriages S6 and 7 of Sabarmati Express in Godhra on February 27, 2002 was a premeditated conspiracy, and that the riots that followed were spontaneous, Mr Patel said .
The Nanavati-Shah Commission found no evidence that the state government, religious organization or political party played a role in the riots, and attempts to hold the then chief minister (Narendra Modi) and officials responsible have also failed in the courts, alleging Patel.
BJP MLA Vakil supported the resolution and said the intention of the documentary was to tarnish India’s global image, adding that Modi’s life has been a journey of courage and compassion.
As prime minister and prime minister, he has become the most popular world leader, she said.
On the 2002 riots, she said that certain NGOs and activists conspired to discredit the Gujarat government and damage Modi’s reputation, adding that there was a larger political conspiracy to destabilize the state government by hand or swindler.
Vakil referred to the Supreme Court ruling in the Zakia Jafri case, in which he made a clean sweep of Prime Minister Modi, claiming that the BBC documentary was “just international propaganda which is totally biased and shows the colonial mentality”.
Thaker supported the resolution and said Prime Minister Modi is not a question but a solution to various problems plaguing the world today, such as climate change and COVID-19 pandemic, etc.
The BBC has a habit of making controversial documentaries on topics in India, Thaker claimed.
He also questioned the timing of the documentary by connecting it to the conclusion of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ congress led by Rahul Gandhi.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the documentary was against not only Modi but 135 crore citizens of the country.
“The resolution for strict action tabled by Vipul Patel is historic…Is it the fault of Prime Minister Modi to fulfill the dream of making Gujarat a riot-free state? Many forces have worked to ensure that Gujarat does not get a stable government Sangahvi said. he said in his speech in the Chamber.
He said “so-called intellectuals” started hurling accusations after Modi after he became prime minister.
“As 2024 (Lok Sabha polls) approach, they (opponents) have no other problem against PM Modi. They used the BBC to make a documentary,” Sanghavi said.
He also criticized social activist Teesta Setalvad, saying that “truths about her have not been shown in any documentary”.
Mr Sanghavi also quoted “important people” who have commented on and criticized the BBC documentary, such as India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bob Blackman and former BBC chief Mark Tully.
The Gujarat minister compared the BBC documentary to the “toolkit” conspiring against India, adding that certain sections of the media suffered from “Modi phobia”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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