Govt slams BBC documentary on PM Modi, calls it 'biased propaganda piece'
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Jan, 2023 11:29 AM
New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) The government on Thursday criticised a BBC series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it "a biased propaganda piece".
"The documentary is a reflection on the agency that has made it. We think it is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible. Can't dignify such a film," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The two-part BBC series "India: The Modi Question" has evoked sharp reactions.
The outline summary of the series says that it's "A look at tensions between Indian PM Narendra Modi and India's Muslim minority, investigating claims about his role in the 2002 riots that left over a thousand dead".
Last year in June, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging a clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and several others in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Supreme Court had said the case was "devoid of merits" and was filed "obviously, for ulterior design".
According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Director Atul Garg, a call regarding fire at a shop was received around 9.20 p.m. on Thursday. "The fire was in the shop no 1868, near Gurudwara, in the Bhagirath Palace Market. So far 40 fire tenders have been rushed to the site and no causality has been reported," he said.
The CBI has chargesheeted Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Sameer Mahendru, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Gautham, and two government officers -- the then Deputy Commissioner of Excise Department Kuldeep Singh and then Assistant Commissioner of Excise Department Narender Singh. The charge sheet was filed before the Rouse Avenue Court.
New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora on Friday said he has written a letter to heads of all departments in this regard. In the letter, their consent has been sought to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the rooftops of the office buildings under the Renewable Energy Services Company (RESCO) Mode.
Rajwinder Singh, who fled Australia after the crime, was arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell earlier in the day. Toyah Cordingley was walking her dog on Wangetti Beach, 40 km north of Cairns in Queensland, when Singh killed her.
The CBI charge sheet named Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Sameer Mahendru, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Gautham, and two public servants -- then Deputy Commissioner in the Excise Department, Kuldeep Singh, and then Assistant Commissioner in the Excise Department, Narender Singh.
On Thursday, Amazon had said that it is shutting down its edtech offering called Amazon Academy's operations in India starting August 2023, and will refund the full fee to those who enrolled in the current academic batch.
