Any media organisation operating in India must abide by the country’s rules and regulations, said BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, amid ongoing ‘survey’ operations on BBC headquarters by the IT department.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Bhatia said, “Income Tax department lawfully carried out raids at the BBC office. The IT department is no longer the ‘caged parrot’ as the Supreme Court had said about government institutions during the Congress rule.” He also attacked the BBC, saying that some ‘sections’ can’t digest India’s growing heft on the world stage.
“The BBC has become the most ‘Bhrasht Bakwaas Corporation’ in the world. Unfortunately, BBC’s propaganda and Congress’ agenda are on the same lines. Today, India is attaining great heights under PM Modi’s leadership and some sections do not like this. The BBC has all rights to do journalism in India, but they will have to abide by the law of the land,” Bhatia said.
The BJP spokesperson further referred to several instances when BBC allegedly insulted Indian sentiments.
“In one of its programmes, the BBC referred to a terrorist operating in Kashmir (slain LeT commander Burhaan Wani) as a charismatic young revolutionary. What kind of journalism is this? You (BBC) are working in India but trying to sabotage our Constitution. In another report, it said Holi is a ‘filthy’ festival. What do you (BBC) know about our festivals? In another report, they insulted our icons saying that Mahatma Gandhi failed to liberate India in 1946,” Bhatia said.
He further attacked the Congress citing the ban on BBC imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
“BBC should also remember what UK’s longest serving Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said about them. She said the BBC is ‘Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation’. Also, the Congres should remember that Indira Gandhi, too, had put a ban on the BBC. India is a country that provides opportunities to every organisation to work under its laws, provided they don’t have a hidden agenda and are not spewing venom against the country,” Bhatia added.
He also attacked Congress and other Opposition parties over their comments on the ongoing survey at BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.
“My question to the Congress and other Opposition parties is that when the survey (at BBC offices) has not even come to any logical conclusion, on which basis are they standing with the ‘anti-national’ forces? Why can’t they wait patiently for the report? Why is it that the Congress always stands with China, BBC, and even terrorists?” Bhatia added.
Income Tax inspectors are undertaking a review of the British public broadcaster BBC’s Indian operations. The specific contours of the survey are yet unknown. More information is awaited. The searches came only weeks after the BBC aired a documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi called “India: The Modi Question,” which sparked outrage.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stated earlier today that the government is pursuing the BBC rather than conceding the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Adani-Hindenburg case.
