Amid BBC row, PM Modi cautions against ‘attempts to create rift’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said futile attempts were being made to create a ‘rift’ between the people of the country.

Addressing a National Cadet Corps (NCC) rally in New Delhi, the prime minister urged the people to remain united for the ‘progress’ of the country.

“…to prevent India’s goal of progressing, its motto of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, many excuses are being dug, different topics scraped to divide the children of mother India…despite lakhs of such attempts they will not succeed,” PM Modi said amid the ongoing controversy over the BBC documentary critical of his role as chief minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots.

“The mantra of ekta is our medicine against these attempts,” PM Modi further continued. He said the country’s unity is our ‘resolution, strength, and the only path’ to take the country to new global heights.

PM Modi also said that people need to ensure, “the path to India’s success is free from such hurdles….we have to live for our country and witness its success…this is the minimum we can do”.

PM Modi’s message for unity comes amid a time when a row has erupted over the screening of the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Students at several universities including Delhi University, TISS Mumbai, and the Opposition parties at some places attempted to screen the controversial documentary which the central government rejected as ‘propaganda’ and a reflection of a ‘colonial mindset’.

The documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ was pulled down from social media as the Centre said it believed the show posed a threat to the country’s sovereignty and public order. The Opposition has slammed the government for blocking the documentary and asking social media companies to remove related links, accusing it of promoting censorship and subverting dissent.