Tag: BBC

Gujarat Assembly passes resolution against BBC for documentary on 2002 riots

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Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Assembly on Friday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against BBC for tarnishing the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its documentary on the 2002 riots in the state.
The controversial two-part series by the British Broadcasting Corporation titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ misrepresents the events of 2002 in a malicious and low-level attempt to tarnish India’s image globally, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vipul Patel said in the House while moving the resolution.
The documentary claims to have probed certain aspects of the riots, which took place after the Godhra train burning incident, when Modi was Gujarat chief minister.
The documentary was banned in India soon after its release.
Patel’s resolution was supported by BJP MLAs Manisha Vakil, Amit Thaker, Dhavalsinh Zala and minister Harsh Sanghavi.
It was passed by voice vote in the absence of Congress MLAs who were expelled from the House earlier in the day.
After passing the resolution unanimously, Speaker Shanker Chaudhary said the attempt by BBC is “reprehensible” and is “condemned vehemently,” adding the House passed the resolution to send its message to the Centre.
“India is a democratic country and freedom of expression is at the core of its Constitution, but that does not mean a news media can act by abusing such freedom,” said Patel while moving the private-member resolution in the second sitting of the House.

“If someone behaves or acts like this (BBC), then it cannot be taken lightly. BBC is losing its credibility and seems to be working with some hidden agenda against India and the Indian government. Hence, this House requests the Central government to take strict action against the mind-boggling findings shown in the BBC documentary,” Patel said in the Assembly.
Through the documentary, there is a deliberate attempt to “tarnish the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” with an agenda to affect the country’s intention to find top place globally, Patel said.
He claimed opposition parties in other countries support the government during such times, but this is not the case in India, which allowed international organisations like the BBC to get the strength to carry out activities against the country.
The Nanavati-Shah Commission concluded after thorough investigation the burning of coaches S6 and 7 of Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002 was a premeditated conspiracy, and that the state-wide riots that followed were spontaneous, Patel said.
The Nanavati-Shah Commission found no evidence the state government, religious organization, or political party played any role in the riots, and attempts to make the then chief minister (Modi) and officials responsible have also failed in the courts, Patel asserted.
Supporting the resolution, BJP MLA Vakil said the intention of the documentary was to tarnish India’s global image, adding Modi’s life has been a journey of courage and compassion.
As the chief minister and prime minister, he has become the most popular world leader, she said.
On the 2002 riots, she said certain NGOs and activists conspired to defame the Gujarat government and wanted to damage Modi’s reputation, adding there was a larger political conspiracy of destabilising the state government by hook or crook.
Vakil referred to the Supreme Court verdict on the Zakia Jafri case giving clean chit to Modi and claimed the BBC documentary was “mere international propaganda which is totally biased and showcases the colonial mindset”.
Supporting the resolution, Thaker said Modi is not a question but a solution for various issues plaguing the world today, such as climate change and COVID-19 pandemic, etc.
The BBC is in the habit of making controversial documentaries on subjects in India, Thaker alleged.
He also questioned the timing of the documentary by connecting it with the conclusion of Congress ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the documentary was not just against Modi but against 135 crore citizens of the country.
“The resolution brought by Vipul Patel for strict action is historic. ..Is it Modi’s fault to realise the dream of making Gujarat a riot-free state? Many forces worked to ensure Gujarat does not get a stable government,” Sangahvi said in his speech in the House.
He said “so-called intellectuals” started hurling one allegation after another on Modi after he took over as the prime minister.
“As 2024 (Lok Sabha polls) approaches, they (opponents) have no other issue against Modi. They used BBC to make a documentary,” Sanghavi said.
He also criticised social activist Teesta Setalvad and said “truths regarding her have not been shown in any documentary”.
Sanghavi also quoted “important people” who have commented and criticised the BBC documentary such as the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, British parliamentarian Bob Blackman, and former BBC head Mark Tully.
The Gujarat minister compared the BBC documentary to the “toolkit” conspiring against India, adding certain sections of the media suffered from “Modi phobia”.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 10, 2023
BBC faces celebrity revolt, political pressure amid Gary Lineker dispute

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The BBC faces a spiraling revolt by its top sporting presenters amid a row over the broadcaster’s impartiality standards, after star football host Gary Lineker was chastised for tweets criticizing the U.K. government’s new asylum policies.
Calls of hypocrisy were also leveled at the U.K. broadcaster on Saturday, as Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the BBC of “caving in” to the demands of Conservative Party members.
The broadcaster’s sporting coverage was plunged into uncertainty due to a boycott from a group of hosts and co-hosts who disagreed with the BBC for attempting to penalize “Match of the Day” presenter Lineker for his recent comments against what he called the government’s “immeasurably cruel policy” on immigration. He has been told to “step back” from his BBC presenting duties.

In a March 7 tweet, the ex-England international footballer compared the U.K. government’s new policy on illegal migrants with the language of Nazi Germany, prompting a backlash from Conservative MPs and members of the government. The BBC says the tweet violated its impartiality standards.
The U.K.’s new asylum policy would block undocumented migrants from entering the country on small vessels. The bill has been condemned by the United Nations, which said it amounts to an “asylum ban.”
“Match of the Day” — a flagship BBC football show for Premier League fans — found itself without regulars Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Jermaine Jenas, Micah Richards and Jermain Defoe, who all pledged to stand by Lineker in the dispute. The BBC said “Match of the Day” would be aired Saturday without presenters or pundits.
Popular broadcasts “Football Focus” and “Final Score” have also been deleted from the BBC’s schedule this weekend, after Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad all backed Lineker’s corner. BBC Radio 5 Live’s football build-up transmission was ditched minutes before airing, as other leading hosts and pundits joined forces against the broadcaster’s disciplining of Lineker.
BBC Director General Tim Davie apologised for the disruptions and said “we are working very hard to resolve the situation.” In an interview with BBC News late Saturday, Davie said “success for me is getting Gary back on air.” Davie said he would “absolutely not” be resigning over the row.
The BBC boss said he was prepared to review impartiality rules for freelance staff like Lineker.
In an earlier statement, the BBC said it considers Lineker’s “recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.”
“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media,” according to the statement.
A five-year contract that Lineker signed in 2020 includes guarantees to adhere to the BBC’s impartiality code. He is on a reported £1.35 million-a-year salary.
Labour’s Starmer accused the BBC of pandering to the demands of the Conservative Party on Saturday.
“The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker,” Starmer told broadcasters at Welsh Labour’s conference in Llandudno, Wales. “They got this one badly wrong and now they’re very, very exposed.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the broadcaster of caving in to Tory demands | Jason Roberts/Getty Images
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries tweeted on Friday that Lineker needs to decide whether he is “a footie presenter or a member of the Labour Party.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the government’s asylum policy in a statement on Saturday and said the impartiality dispute is for the broadcaster and the presenter to sort out.
“I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government,” Sunak said in the statement.
Liverpool football club manager Jürgen Klopp backed Lineker when asked about the controversy on Saturday.
“I cannot see why you would ask someone to step back for saying that,” Klopp said. “Everybody wants to be so concerned about doing things in the right manner, saying the right stuff. If you don’t do that then you create a shitstorm, it is a really difficult world to live in,” he said.
“If I understand it right, it is a message, an opinion about human rights and that should be possible to say,” Klopp said.
The links between the BBC and the U.K.’s governing Conservative Party run deep. The corporation’s chairman, Richard Sharp, was previously outed as having facilitated an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, the former U.K. prime minister. On Saturday, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for Sharp to resign.
The communications officer for former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May — Robbie Gibb — has sat on the BBC board as a non-executive director since 2021. Current BBC Director General Tim Davie previously stood as a councilor for the Conservative Party in Hammersmith, a London constituency.

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#BBC #faces #celebrity #revolt #political #pressure #Gary #Lineker #dispute
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 9, 2023
Gujarat BJP MLA to move resolution in Assembly seeking action against BBC documentary

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Ahmedabad: Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vipul Patel will on Friday move a resolution in the Assembly seeking “strong action” against the “concocted” findings shown in a BBC documentary, which he alleged “once again attempts to blame the then state government” for the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
The proposed resolution will likely say the BBC documentary was a “low-level attempt” to tarnish India’s global image.
“India is a democratic country and freedom of expression is at the core of its Constitution, but that does not mean that a news media can abuse such freedom,” according to the summary of the proposed resolution shared by the Assembly secretariat on Tuesday.
The two-part BBC documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question”, claimed it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.
“If someone behaves or acts like this (BBC), then he cannot be taken lightly. BBC is losing its credibility and seems to be working with some hidden agenda against India and the Indian government. Hence, this House requests the Central Government to take strict action against the mind-boggling findings shown in the BBC documentary,” said a note on the resolution to be moved by Patel.
“The controversial documentary again “attempts to blame the then-state government for the 2002 Godhra riots and subsequent communal riots in Gujarat,” said the note.
The BBC documentary misrepresents the events of 2002 and is a malicious and low-level attempt to tarnish India’s global image, it said.
Through the documentary, deliberate attempts have been made to tarnish the image and popularity of Prime Minister Modi with an agenda to affect India’s goal to be in a top place in the world, said the note.

This, despite the fact that the Nanavati-Shah inquiry commission concluded after a thorough investigation that the burning of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, was a premeditated conspiracy, and the riots that followed were spontaneous, it said.
The commission found no evidence that the state government or any religious organization or political party played any role in the riots, stated the note.
The Assembly, which is having its Budget session, will meet on Friday after a two-day break.
The BJP has 156 MLAs in the 182-member House.
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#Gujarat #BJP #MLA #move #resolution #Assembly #seeking #action #BBC #documentary
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 8, 2023
BBC controversy: Justice Rohinton Nariman criticizes documentary ban, IT ‘survey’

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Former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Fali Nariman on Thursday criticized the government’s decision to ban the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi and subsequent IT ‘survey’ at the broadcasting branch offices in India.
Speaking at the inaugural Jitendra Desai Memorial Lecture on the topic, ‘Freedom of Speech: Contemporary Challenges’, in Ahmedabad, he termed the decision to ban the documentary as ‘futile’ and IT ‘survey’ as ‘unfortunate’.
He also expressed concerns over the media not criticizing the government as it used to do earlier and the lack of worthy opposition.

BBC documentary banned
Earlier, the central government imposed restrictions on BBC Documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On January 21, directions were issued for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary.
Apart from it, India has denounced the controversial documentary series and described it as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.
IT ‘survey’ at BBC’s Delhi, Mumbai offices
Later, Income Tax officials conducted ‘survey’ operations on the Indian offices of the British public broadcaster BBC in both Delhi and Mumbai.
According to sources, the IT officials verified certain account documents in the finance department of BBC.

During the investigation, the mobile phones of all the employees present in the BBC office have been taken away by the Income Tax team. The data of the computer kept in the accounts and finance department was also scanned.
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#BBC #controversy #Justice #Rohinton #Nariman #criticizes #documentary #ban #survey
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 3, 2023
UK Foreign Secretary raises IT searches at BBC offices with Jaishankar

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New Delhi: UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday raised the issue of tax searches at BBC offices in India with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar.
The issue was raised during their bilateral meeting, as per reports citing an interview with Cleverly, who is in India to participate in the two-day G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, which began here on Wednesday.
Last month, income tax authorities conducted “survey operations” at BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.
The searches came after the Indian government had reacted strongly against a BBC documentary on post-Godhra incident riots in Gujarat in 2002, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state’s Chief Minister.
Began the morning with a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly of the UK.
Reviewed the progress in our relationship since our last discussion. Noted in particular the commencement of the Young Professional Scheme. pic.twitter.com/R3aUvX1U4Z
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 1, 2023
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#Foreign #Secretary #raises #searches #BBC #offices #Jaishankar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 1, 2023
VP Dhankar hits out at BBC documentary, George Soros

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Chennai: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar hit out at the “narrative set afloat” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hungarian-American businessman critic George Soros, on Tuesday saying those who play politics the other way around need to be combated, neutralised and must face rational questioning.
Dhankar said India has a robust legal system where things are realised for the high and mighty, including the Prime Minister.
“For two decades, the issue was deliberated in judicial quarters, thoroughly investigated at all levels. The highest court of the land, the highest court of the largest democracies pronounced on all fronts in 2022 finally, and we have a narrative being set afloat by a documentary, some people say this is expression,” the VP said in an apparent reference to the BBC documentary on Narendra Modi.
“So in the name of expression can you run down the Supreme Court, can you run down two decades of thorough investigation? This is playing politics the other way around. When people choose to play politics the other way around, the young minds here and outside are intellectually equipped to challenge them,” he said while addressing the students after inaugurating the Centre for Innovation at IIT Madras here.
The controversial BBC documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” pertains to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of that state.
Without mentioning names, he said “there is one gentleman somewhere using some money power, he has some backers, he has some beneficiaries, he has some fiscal parasites and they talk about our country’s democracy. I have been appalled, pained, how can a sane mind compare us with a southern country without neighbours?”
He appealed to the students to be on guard and vindicate the trust of the founding fathers, if they have to take this country to 2047.
“Those who play politics the other way around needs to be combated, neutralised and they must face your rational questioning,” Dhankar said.

The Sudha and Shankar Innovation Hub is IIT Madras’ first architect-designed built space dedicated to student-led activities funded by alumni and the government.
The new facility was inaugurated in the presence Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi, IIT Madras director, V Kamakoti, and founder, CAMS Pvt. Ltd V Shankar.
It is dedicated to supporting and encouraging Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) activities of the students and researchers.
Besides CFI, the Sudha and Shankar Innovation Hub also hosts Nirmaan, a pre-incubator that supports to convert student-led technology projects into successful start-ups.
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#Dhankar #hits #BBC #documentary #George #Soros
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 28, 2023
BBC does not have an ‘agenda’, says chief to staff in India after I-T survey

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London: The BBC is not driven by an “agenda” but by purpose and will not be put off reporting impartially and without fear or favour, the UK-headquartered media organisation’s chief has said days after the income tax department survey operation at its New Delhi and Mumbai offices.
In an email to BBC staff in India reported on Thursday by the broadcaster, Director General Tim Davie thanked them for their courage as he stressed that nothing was more important than reporting impartially. He added that the BBC would help staff in India do their jobs effectively and safely.
“Nothing is more important than our ability to report without fear or favour,” Davie said in the email, reported by the BBC.
“Our duty to our audiences around the world is to pursue the facts through independent and impartial journalism, and to produce and distribute the very best creative content. We won’t be put off from that task. I’d like to be clear: the BBC does not have an agenda we are driven by purpose. And our first public purpose is to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them,” he said.
The income tax survey came weeks after the London-headquartered public broadcaster aired a controversial two-part documentary in the UK, India: The Modi Question’, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The email from Davie came a week after I-T officials spent three days carrying out what they called a “survey” at the BBC offices. In an official statement at the end of the searches, the BBC said that it will “continue to cooperate” with the authorities and hopes matters are resolved as soon as possible.
In its statement following the survey, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said it had found discrepancies and that the income and profits disclosed by the organisation’s units were “not commensurate with the scale of operations in India”.
Earlier this week, the British government strongly defended the BBC and its editorial freedom in Parliament to say: “We stand up for the BBC. We fund the BBC. We think the BBC World Service is vital.”

David Rutley, a UK Foreign Office minister, was responding to an urgent question raised in the House of Commons by the Opposition parties, some of whom branded the action a “deliberate act of intimidation following the release of an unflattering documentary about the country’s leader” and sharply criticised the UK government for failing to make a statement on the issue sooner.
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#BBC #agenda #chief #staff #India #survey
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 24, 2023
Screening of BBC documentary on Modi at Visva Bharati stalled

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Kolkata: An attempt to screen the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots on the campus of Visva Bharati university in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Thursday evening by the members of the Democratic Students’ Association (DSA) was foiled after a large contingent of police assisted by the university’s own security team took possession of the screening venue, not allowing the students to bring the screen equipment there.
The police and university authorities claimed that the decision of not allowing the students to screen the controversial documentary was prompted by security reasons following the arrival of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the same evening to attend the convocation ceremony of the university on Friday.
However, university sources said that since the Prime Minister himself is the Chancellor of the university, the screening of the documentary — ‘India: The Modi Question’ — that too in the presence of the Defence Minister, would have sent wrong signals and hence the top authorities decided to stall the screening with the help of the police.
DSA spokesman Subho Nath told mediapersons that the planning and announcement of screening the documentary were made much before the announcement of the Defence Minister’s visit.
“Also, the screening venue is at a distance from the venue of the convocation ceremony. We were feeling the pressure for not screening the documentary for quite some time. Finally, the university authorities with the help of district police stopped us from screening it. Be it the Union government or the state government, they are all all on the same boat when it comes to suppressing the democratic rights of the students. But we will not backtrack. We will screen the documentary some other day,” he said.
After not being able to screen the documentary, a section of the students staged silent protests within the university campus holding posters which claimed that be it the Centre or the state government, the nature of the fascist forces is the same.
Commenting on developments, BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said that the students who tried to screen the documentary on such an occasion are actually ‘anti-nationals’.

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#Screening #BBC #documentary #Modi #Visva #Bharati #stalled
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Ranbir Kapoor mocks BBC journalist over Bollywood’s ‘bad phase’ remark

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Mumbai: Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor who was last seen in Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva has started promoting his upcoming movie ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’ (TJMM). The actor who is known for romantic and comedy roles will be back in his original avatar after Sanju, Shamshera and Brahmastra. Ranbir enjoys a unique fan following and the trailer of his TJMM seemed like the actor is back with what he is best at. The actor who usually remains out of controversies and keeps himself away from social media is hitting the headlines now.
During one of his promotional event recently, the Saawariya actor gave a witty reply to a journalist who asked him about the bad phase of Bollywood at the box office.
In a video which surfaced online, the journalist asked the actor, “Ranbir Bollywood ka abhi thora dicey chal raha hai…(Bollywood is currently in a dicey phase).” Interrupting her, Ranbir answered, “Kya baat kar rahi hai? Pathaan ki collection dekhi nahi tune? (What are you saying? Have you not seen the box office collection of Pathaan?)”
Ranbir further asked reporter, “Pehle, aap kaunsi publication se ho (Which media publication you are from?)” After she replied, the actor mockingly told her, ”BBC News”. He the went asking her, ”Abhi toh aapke bhi kuch chal raha hai na aaj kal…uska kya? Pehle woh jawab do (I think something is going on with your company these days. What about that, you tell me first).”
RK’s words left everyone in the room in splits and even some fans praised him for witty replies like Shah Rukh Khan. One of the users commented, “Bhai savage.” Someone else also said, “Epic especially the last one when he questioned the reporter.”
”kahan puch rhe hain yeh question..wo banda 450cr ki Brahmastra dekr baitha hai,” commented another user.
The London-based news organisation BBC which is popular worldwide for its unbiased reporting came under scanner earlier this month after the Income Tax Department of India conducted a survey operation at their offices in Delhi and Mumbai as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion.
Relevant to mention here that BBC has released a documentary on PM Modi earlier and it was opposed by the BJP.

Talking about Ranbir Kapoor, his movie Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar will be released on March 8 this year. Directed by Luv Ranjan, the film has Shraddha Kapoor as the female lead alongside Dimple Kapadia, Boney Kapoor, Anubhav Singh Bassi and Rajesh Jais in key roles.
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#Ranbir #Kapoor #mocks #BBC #journalist #Bollywoods #bad #phase #remark
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
BBC cannot hide ‘economic offences’ under garb of freedom of expression: BJP

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New Delhi: The BJP said on Wednesday the BBC or any other organisation cannot hide their “economic offences” under the garb of freedom of expression.
The British broadcaster is under the Income-Tax department probe for alleged tax avoidance by underreporting income and these are serious offences, BJP’s information technology department head Amit Malviya said.
The BBC has to abide by Indian laws to operate in the country, he said.
The BJP reaction came following the British government’s strong defence of the BBC and its editorial freedom in Parliament after the Income Tax department’s survey operations on the media corporation’s New Delhi and Mumbai offices last week.
The BBC has said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and hopes to have the situation resolved as soon as possible.
Malviya claimed that the international broadcaster has a chequered past and accused it of trying to meddle in the internal affairs of democracies, including India.
He said that it once showed Russian tanks in Chechnya as Indian tanks in Kashmir to “suit its propaganda”.
Malviya said India is the “mother of democracy” and has a strong judicial system to ensure freedom of expression.

The I-T department had said in a statement following the survey that the income and profits disclosed by the organisation’s units were “not commensurate with the scale of operations in India”.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) junior minister responded to an urgent question raised in the House of Commons in London on Tuesday to say that the government cannot comment on the allegations made by the I-T department over an ongoing investigation but stressed that media freedom and freedom of speech are essential elements of robust democracies.
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#BBC #hide #economic #offences #garb #freedom #expression #BJP
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023