UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a session of the British Parliament, stating that he did not agree with the portrayal of Modi in a recent BBC documentary series. The series, which aired on the UK’s national broadcaster, criticized Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots. The documentary raised concerns and was removed from certain platforms.
Prominent Indian-origin UK citizens, including Lord Rami Ranger, condemned the series, claiming it caused harm and was biased in its reporting. Lord Rami Ranger said the “BBC caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians.” He also tweeted, “@BBCNews You have caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians It insults a democratically elected @PMOIndia Indian Police & the Indian judiciary. We condemn the riots and loss of life & also condemn your biased reporting.”
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also reacted to the BBC report and said that this is a completely biased copy. Sunak stated that the UK government’s position on the issue has not changed and that persecution will not be tolerated. He said, “The UK government’s position on this has been clear and long-standing and hasn’t changed, of course, we don’t tolerate persecution where it appears anywhere but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterization that the honourable gentleman has put forward to,” he said while responding to Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain’s question on the BBC report.
