Gujarat Assembly passes resolution against BBC documentary; seeks strict action

The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its documentary on the 2002 riots in the state.

The resolution against the broadcaster has reportedly been passed for "tarnishing the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi".

"The documentary was not just against Modi but against 135 crore citizens of the country," said Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, as per news agency ANI.

BBC documentary row

The BBC had in January this year released the controversial two-part documentary titled 'India: The Modi Question' which features the Gujarat riots of 2002.

The Ministry of External Affairs trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. Thereafter, the Centre had ordered social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links of the BBC documentary.

British MP Bob Blackman had said that the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "completely exaggerated".

“BBC does not represent views of the British government. The documentary is a hatchet job," Blackman said while speaking to News18. He added that the two-part series is a result of poor journalism.

In the interview, Blackman mentioned that the documentary is a “result of poor journalism, is badly researched, and completely unjustified". He further said that "China is trying to encircle India".

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition "entirely misconceived" and "absolutely meritless".

(With ANI inputs)

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