Anil Antony’s view on BBC series as sovereignty breach ‘immature’: Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has rejected the views of Anil Antony, son of party colleague and former defence minister AK Antony, on a controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots. Tharoor on Wednesday (January 25) termed as “immature” Anil’s argument that it is an infringement upon India’s sovereignty.

Anil tweeted on Tuesday (January 24) that placing the views of the British broadcaster over Indian institutions would undermine the sovereignty of the nation. He has since resigned from all posts he was holding in the Congress, citing “intolerant calls” and “abuses” over the matter.

Tharoor, Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said people of the country have the freedom to watch or not watch the BBC documentary on the 2002 riots. Who can say the British broadcaster has no right to do a story on the topic, he asked. The Indian Constitution guarantees all rights for us to watch a documentary, he added.

Anil a “good person”

When asked about Anil’s argument that placing the views of the BBC over Indian institutions would set a “dangerous precedent” and “undermine” our sovereignty, Tharoor said he could not agree with it. “I feel that this is an immature stand,” he said.

Also read: Who is Anil Antony, who rebelled against Congress over BBC Modi series?

“Because, the sovereignty of our country cannot be affected so easily… will it be affected if a foreign documentary is screened? … whether our national security and sovereignty are so fragile to be affected by a documentary?” he said.

The leader, however, said Anil, who had handled the digital communications of the grand old party for some time, was a “good person” and he had not discussed the BBC documentary issue with him.

Anil thanked Tharoor

Anil, who is said to be close to Tharoor, specially thanked him for his support in the resignation letter he sent to the party leadership on Wednesday, quitting his roles in the Congress — as the convener of KPCC Digital Media and as the national coordinator of AICC Social Media and Digital Communications Cell.

Also read: UK PM Sunak backs Modi over controversial BBC series

Anil had on Tuesday tweeted that despite big differences with the BJP, those who support and place the views of the British broadcaster and of former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw, the “brain behind the Iraq war” (involving the US-led coalition in 2003) over Indian institutions are setting a dangerous precedent.

The two-part BBC documentary, which claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of that state, has been trashed by the Ministry of External Affairs as a “propaganda piece” that lacked objectivity and reflected a “colonial mindset”.

(With agency inputs)