On Wednesday, the Congress party condemned the Income Tax survey at the BBC’s offices. The grand old party questioned what picture of India is Prime Minister Narendra Modi projecting through such moves at a time when the country is hosting the G-20.
“This year, it is India’s turn to host the G20, which is a big event, and what image of India is Modi ji presenting to the world with this raid?” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera asked.
“By giving the slogan of ‘Mother of Democracy’, he himself has become the ‘father of hypocrisy’,” Khera said.
Anyone questioning PM Modi about his past is “raided”, Pawan Khera said and blamed the central government for demolishing the fourth pillar of democracy.
When the past of PM Modi is exposed by the BBC, “then he uses investigation agencies as his ‘frontal organisations’ to raid an international media outlet”, he said.
“Demolishing” the fourth pillar of democracy has now become a common thing in New India, the Congress
The Modi government has repeatedly “strangulated, muzzled and bulldozed” the Indian media, he alleged.
“When Modi ji was dreaming of becoming the prime minister of the country, then he was a dedicated follower of the same BBC,” Khera told reporters.
On Wednesday, for the second day, the Income Tax Department survey operation against BBC India continued with sleuths understood to be making copies of electronic and paper-based financial data of the organisation, officials said.
It is pertinent to mention here that this latest action has come weeks after the Government of India (GOI) banned a documentary from the British broadcaster that was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in deadly riots more than 20 years ago.