On BBC’s PM Modi documentary, former foreign secretary says, ‘Aware of mischief’
Amid the row over BBC’s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi based on a ‘secret’ investigation of the-then UK government, former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said he is aware of the “mischief by the UK mission”.
In a tweet on Thursday, the former diplomat said he was the foreign secretary at that time. He was informed by an EU envoy that the UK mission sent their diplomat to Gujarat and circulated a “highly slanted report” to EU envoys in Delhi. “Was informed by a EU envoy which prompted me to issue warning to missions in Delhi to not interfere in our internal affairs,” Kanwal Sibal tweeted.
Here are the latest updates on the row over BBC’s documentary on PM Modi
1. The ministry of external affairs on Thursday reacted to the documentary and said the documentary has been designed to push a particular “discredited narrative”.
2. The two-part series India: The Modi Question has drawn flak from Indian-origin viewers of the BBC after the first part was aired on Tuesday. It was not screened in India. The documentary is on Narendra Modi and the 2002 Godhra riot.
3. The second part is to be screened on January 24.
4. The row has become bigger with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak coming into the picture. Sunak distanced himself from the documentary and said he did not agree with the characterisation of PM Modi, as done by the BBC.
5. In the controversial documentary, former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw gave a statement and said the UK government then conducted a probe into what happened in Gujarat.
6. The MEA reacted to this statement and questioned the investigation report. “How do I have access to that? It is a 20-year-old report. Why would I just jump on it now? Just because Jack Straw says it, how do they lend it that much legitimacy,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
7. “I heard words like inquiry and investigation. There is a reason why we used the word colonial mindset. We do not use words loosely. What enquiry? They were diplomats here… investigation, are they ruling the country. I do not agree with that characterization,” the MEA spokesperson said.