World News | BBC defends Modi documentary as ‘rigorously researched’

LONDON, Jan 20 (PTI) – The BBC on Friday defended its controversial Prime Minister Narendra Modi series as a “rigorously researched” documentary aimed at Highlighting important issues, the Indian government condemned the program a day earlier for lacking objectivity in a “propaganda film”.

“This documentary was rigorously researched to the highest editorial standards,” a BBC spokesman said in a statement.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come to the defense of Prime Minister Modi after a BBC documentary claimed the British government knew of the Indian leader’s involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Sunak said he disagreed with the Pakistani-born opposition Labor MP Imran Hussein’s characterization of Prime Minister Modi when he was asked whether the British prime minister agreed with a BBC program that some British Foreign Office diplomats believed ” Modi is directly responsible”.

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“The UK government’s position on this is clear and long-standing and has not changed,” Sunak responded.

“Of course we don’t tolerate persecution anywhere, but I’m not sure I fully agree with the description this gentleman puts forward,” the British prime minister said.

In producing the series, the taxpayer-funded, license fee-backed BBC said it had approached a range of voices.

“We engaged a wide range of voices, witnesses and experts, and we presented a range of observations – including responses from people in the BJP. We offered the Indian government the right to respond to questions raised in the series – which it declined to make Response,” the spokesman said.

The BBC said it was committed to highlighting important issues around the world, with the series examining “tensions between India’s Hindu majority and Muslim ) politics associated with these tensions”.

In recent years, this has been a source of considerable coverage and interest in India and around the world,” the spokesperson noted.

The Indian government has condemned the BBC Panorama programme, which has not yet been screened in India, as a propaganda film with a questionable agenda behind it.

“We believe this is a propaganda film designed to promote a particular narrative of disrepute. The bias, lack of objectivity and persistent colonial mentality are evident,” MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a news release in New Delhi on Thursday. told reporters at the meeting when asked about the controversial series.

Meanwhile, several Indian expats in the UK complained to the BBC about the portrayal of Indian leaders in the series.

“@BBCNews you have caused enormous harm to over a billion Indians. It insults the elected PM, the Indian police and the Indian judiciary. We condemn the riots and loss of life and your biased reporting,” Lord tweeted wrote. Rami Ranger, Member of the Upper House of Indian descent.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)