Not familiar with BBC documentary on Modi: US State Department

At a time when a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked a controversy both at home and abroad, goading the Indian government to withdraw it from all social media platforms, the United States, has maintained that it is not familiar with the film, but is “familiar with the shared democratic values” that connects Washington and New Delhi.

The controversial two-part BBC series, titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ has claimed that it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state. Addressing a press briefing in Washington on Monday (January 23), US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters that Washington shares an exceptionally deep partnership with New Delhi based on values that are common to both the US and Indian democracies.

Also read: BBC’s Modi documentary: ‘Ban is violation of fundamental rights’

When a Pakistani journalist probed Price on the BBC documentary, he said: “I’m not familiar with the (BBC) documentary (on 2002 Gujarat riots) you’re referring to. I am very familiar with the shared values that connect the United States and India as two thriving, vibrant democracies.”

Price said there are several elements that bolster Washington’s global strategic partnership with New Delhi, which include political, economic and through people-to-people ties. “What I will say broadly is that there are a number of elements that undergird the global strategic partnership that we have with our Indian partners. There are close political ties. There are economic ties. There are exceptionally deep people-to-people ties between the US and India,” he added.

Also read: Govt ‘blocks’ access to BBC series on Modi; TMC MP O’Brien says Twitter post deleted

The first of the two-part series, which aired on BBC Two last week, was categorised by the UK tax-payer funded broadcaster as a look at the tensions between Indian PM Narendra Modi and India’s Muslim minority, investigating claims about his role in 2002 riots that left over a thousand dead.

The second part of this series, scheduled to be aired on Tuesday, is pegged as a look at the troubled relationship between Indian PM Narendra Modi’s government and India’s Muslim minority following his re-election in 2019.

Also read: Modi documentary: Online petition seeks probe into ‘serious breach’ by BBC

The Indian government has condemned the BBC Panorama programme, which has not been screened in India, as a propaganda piece with a questionable agenda behind it. “We think that this is a propaganda piece, designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said previously.

On January 21, New Delhi issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the BBC documentary.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak too has defended Prime Minister Modi over the BBC documentary, asserting that he didn’t agree with the characterisation of his Indian counterpart.

Also read: India dubs BBC documentary on Gujarat riots a propaganda piece

(With inputs from agencies)