Assam Assembly passes resolution against BBC for its documentary

  Supreme Court gave PM Modi a clean chit: CM

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly passed a resolution today against the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) for its documentary, ‘The Modi Question’ amidst a walkout by the Congress and the AIUDF. The State Assembly feels that the BBC made an attempt to malign India’s image at the international level through the documentary, besides attacking India’s judiciary.

BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu moved the resolution, saying that the BBC leveled a false allegation against the Prime Minister. Pegu said that the ‘Godhra Kand’ that had occurred in 2002 was a sad incident. He, however, questioned the rationale behind bringing up the incident after 20 years. Pegu smacked of a hidden agenda in the documentary.

“On 17th February, 2023, the BBC released Part 1 of a shameful documentary ‘through a false and fictitious portrayal of the events that occurred in Gujarat in 2002, which was produced with the sole reason of attacking our Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Indian Republic. The BBC has peddled false narratives in stark ignorance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgment dated 24th June, 2022 in this matter… I request this august House to adopt a resolution demanding the strictest possible action against the BBC’s malicious and dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities, flare religious tension, and malign India’s global standing by airing the malicious two-part documentary, ‘The Modi Question’.

Taking part in the discussion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The Supreme Court of India disposed of the case in 2022. Prime Minister Modi was silent for 18 years in the case. He thought that he would accept the verdict that the Supreme Court would pronounce. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 450-page verdict. The apex court falsified the allegation of involvement of the then Gujarat Government in that incident. Does BBC, an institution outside India, have the right to challenge the Indian judiciary?”

The Chief Minister said, “BBC released the documentary when India took over the G-20 presidency. India getting the G-20 presidency is a source of pride for Indians, let alone Modi’s. Did the BBC criticize the British Government at the time of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre and the killing of farmers at Patharughat in Assam? Since 2002, many perceptions have circulated concerning the Gujarat incident. However, the Supreme Court conclusively closed the episode in 2022 with a warning to the petitioners. Does the BBC want to challenge India’s judiciary? “The BBC is not above the Indian judiciary.”

Terming the documentary an international conspiracy, he said, “India’s economy was the 11th largest in the world earlier. Now, it is the fifth-largest economy in the world. The target is to be the 4th largest economy in the world by 2027. It is India’s development story, and we feel that the documentary is an international conspiracy hatched against India. It is aimed at maligning India’s image at the international level. The BBC has not criticized Modi, but an institution because he is the Prime Minister. The BBC cannot defame India. We oppose the conspiracy hatched by the BBC.”

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia and Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah opposed the resolution. The duo said that Assam had nothing to do with the BBC because the latter is known all over the world for its credentials. In 2013, Narendra Modi praised the BBC, they said.

Aminul Islam of the AIUDF and Manoranjan Talukdar of the CPI (M) also opposed the resolution. The Congress and the AIUDF staged a walkout when Speaker Biswajit Daimary was passing the resolution on voice vote.

The Chief Minister thanked the House for the passage of the resolution.

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