Rishi Sunak dismisses Pakistani-origin MP, appearing in the House with an allegation against PM Modi, conducted by BBC.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from the BBC documentary series while defending PM Modi in the British Parliament, saying he “doesn’t agree with the characterization” of his Indian counterpart.

Sunak made these remarks in response to a contentious documentary raised in the British Parliament by Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain.

“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 honorable gentleman has put forward to,” he said while responding to Hussain’s question on the BBC report.

The BBC’s national broadcaster in the United Kingdom aired a two-part series criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The documentary sparked outrage and pulled from many platforms.

UK Government PM Rishi Sunak Criticizes BBC Report:

UK PM Rishi Sunak dismisses Pakistani-origin Imran Hussain, a British MP, appearing in the House in connection with an allegation against PM Modi, which was conducted by BBC. pic.twitter.com/Uu3O72g1tU

— 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐥 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫 (@kapilkumaron) January 19, 2023

The series condemned by prominent Indian-origin UK citizens. Lord Rami Ranger, a prominent UK citizen, stated that the “BBC caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians.”

Rami condemned the BBC’s biased reporting, tweeting, “@BBCNews Over a billion Indians have suffered as a result of your actions. It is an insult to a democratically elected Indian police force and the Indian judiciary. We condemn the riots and deaths, as well as your biased reporting.”

The Ministry of External Affairs also commented on the BBC report, claiming that it a completely biased copy.

While addressing a weekly briefing in New Delhi, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We think this is a propaganda piece. This has no objectivity. This is biased. Do note that this hasn’t been screened in India. We don’t want to answer more on this so that this doesn’t get much dignity.”

He even raised questions on “the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it.”

“The documentary is a reflection of the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it; frankly, we do wish to dignify these efforts,” he adds.

Referring to apparent remarks made by former UK Secretary Jack Straw in the documentary series, Bagchi said “He (Jack Straw) seems to be referring to some internal UK report. How do I have access to that? It’s a 20-year-old report. Why would we jump on it now? Just because Jack says it, how do they lend it that much legitimacy.”

“I heard words like inquiry and investigations. There is a reason why we use the colonial mindset. We don’t use words loosely. What inquiry was diplomats there…investigation, are they ruling the country? Bagchi asked.