'Congress Should Remember Indira Gandhi Banned BBC': BJP After IT Surveys

Income Tax Department conducted survey operations at the BBC's offices in Mumbai and Delhi on Tuesday.

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday accused the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of unleashing "venomous" reporting against India and alleged that it is a "most corrupt corporation" whose propaganda and the Congress' agenda go together. Addressing a press conference soon after the Income Tax survey operations at the British broadcaster's offices in Mumbai and Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia asserted that the action was lawful.

"If any agency or company operates in India whether it is connected to media or other work, it will have to abide by the local laws," he said.

He rejected the Congress' and other opposition parties' criticism of the Income Tax Department's action, asking why they are giving the BBC a clean chit and questioning the probe agency when its investigation has not reached a conclusion yet.

"Why can't they wait? Why is the Congress always standing with the anti-national forces," Bhatia said, describing it a routine survey and claiming that the broadcaster was issued a notice earlier and the survey came after the organisation did not respond to it.

He rejected the opposition's criticism of the action and said the government agency should be allowed to do its job. The "timing of the action was not decided by any government or outside power", Bhatia claimed and added that the opposition should refrain from politicising the issue.

Hitting out at the London-headquartered public broadcaster, he said the BBC is the "most corrupt" organisation in the world and the Congress should remember that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had also banned the broadcaster.

The BJP leader further claimed that the BBC has a "tainted and black history of working with malice against India". "BBC propaganda and Congress agenda go together. Congress should remember that its own leader and former prime minister Indira Gandhi had imposed a ban on the BBC," he said.

He cited its past reports, including the one which described a terrorist as a "charismatic young militant" and allegedly called Holi a "filthy" festival. It works in India, but has little regard for its Constitution, Bhatia said.

"This shows that the BBC does venomous and shallow reporting on India. The BBC wishes to operate in India yet refuses to respect the icons of the country. In a BBC programme, its presenter had the temerity to say that Mahatma Gandhi had failed in his attempt to liberate India in 1946," Bhatia said.

To buttress his point, the BJP spokesperson said former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher described the BBC as "Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation". The news broadcaster should definitely pay heed to the words of UK's longest serving prime minister, he said.

Bhatia said India is a country that gives opportunity to every organisation and individual as long as they are willing to abide by the Constitution and do not have hidden agendas and "spew venom" against the country.

At a time when India is marching ahead globally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, there are many powers which do not like it, Bhatia said, claiming that the Congress, its leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties also feel "pained" by the country's rise under Modi.

Accusing opposition Congress of supporting "anti-national" forces, he said, "Your hate for Modi is so much that you politicise even a probe agency's work. You always question constitutional authorities such as the Supreme Court and the Election Commission."

The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at the government over the Income Tax survey operation at the BBC's offices, saying while they were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue, the Centre is after the BBC.

The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted a survey operation at BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai as part of a tax evasion investigation, officials said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also used a Hindi idiom to attack the government, saying "Vinash Kale, Vipreet Buddhi" (when doom approaches, a person's intellect works against his interest).

"Here we are demanding JPC on the Adani issue, but the government is after the BBC. Vinash Kale Viprit Buddhi," Ramesh said.

A recent BBC series on the 2002 Gujarat riots has come in for criticism from the ruling BJP in India, with the government blocking access to it on social media platforms.