The two-part BBC’s controversial series “India: The Modi Question” has stoked a massive controversy since it has been released. While the documentary claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of the state, the government has termed the series a “propaganda piece”.
The Modi government has banned this series in India, which has created an uproar among the Leftists, Islamists, and pseudo secularists. While several nations have garnered their support for PM Modi, there is a specific section of nations, organizations, and anti India academicia which is hell bent on screening this documentary legally or illegally to spread the propaganda against the Indian PM Modi.
One such attempt is being made in the Columbia Journalism School, USA. This school is organizing a special screening of the two-part BBC documentary titled ‘India, the Modi Question‘ along with a panel discussion with Journalists Raghu Karnad, Salil Tripathi, alleged historian and Professor Audrey Truschke, author Zia Jaffrey, Safa Ahmad, Indian American Muslim Council and Sunita Viswanath, Co-founder, Hindus for Human Rights.
Audrey Truschke has posted this on her official twitter handle as well.
Intentions of organizers in malicious
The intentions of the organizer, the Columbia Journalism School is extremely malicious here. They have stated in a communication that they are officially screening this documentary at Pulitzer Hall on Friday from 5 PM followed by a panel discussion by Professor Audrey Turschke and journalists Raghu Karnad and Salil Tripathi.
They also mislead the students and other people with some wrong facts about this documentary and the reaction of the Indian Government against it. Organizer’s are saying that the Indian government has banned the documentary in India and has cracked down on those attempting to screen. Students in college campuses attempting to screen it are being attacked. Columbia Journalism School says that they are standing in complete solidarity with the students and condemn the Indian government’s decision for censorship.
An event website ‘eventbrite‘ has listed this event, from where people can book it, and it is showing that all tickets for this event have been sold out.
Anti India cabal is trying their best to spread this BBC led propaganda
Audrey Truschke is a well-known Hinduphobic and anti-India professor of Rutgers University in the USA, who keeps spreading fake news against Hindus and against India. She is recently posted a tweet saying, “In 2002, Modi oversaw a massacre of Muslims in Gujarat. They burnt shops, cut open the bellies of pregnant women, raped, and killed thousands.”
She further claimed that BJP is “celebrating those horrors”, citing a report that misquoted home minister Amit Shah’s speech yesterday in Gujarat.
She further added, “In 2002, Modi oversaw a massacre of Muslims in Gujarat. They burnt shops, cut open the bellies of pregnant women, raped, and killed thousands.” However whatever she said is absolute lie and have been thoroughly debunked after by probe agencies and the courts, including the highest court of India. Guess what she will be doing in this screening? Obviously she will be spewing the venom against PM Modi and India.
Another visiting member for this screening is Raghu Karnad. He is the founding member of The Wire, which is an anti-Indian news portal in India. This portal is known for spreading fake narratives and propaganda against India and Indian government in recent times. Guess what Raghu must be doing in this screening? of course he will be using this opportunity to mislead the students of this school.
Another panel member is Safa Ahmad, who works with the Indian American Muslim Council. This organization is known for spreading hatred against India and Indian diaspora in the USA. She has been very vocal against Indian government’s decisions and activities in India.
Another participant is the author Zia Jaffrey, who is known for her highly radical thought process against the Indian democracy and specifically the Modi Government. Zia was among the 100 international writers and artists, who expressed concern over the state of freedom of expression in India and called on President Droupadi Murmu to support democratic ideals.
Why so much fuss about this documentary?
The documentary traces Mr Modi’s rise through the ranks of the Hindu nationalist BJP despite his alleged involvement in the riots and failure to stop them during his leadership in the state.
It also uncovered memos showing PM Modi was criticized at the time by several Western diplomats and the British government. It included a previously unpublished report from the UK Foreign Office that held PM Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the Gujarat violence to take place.
The riots in February 2002 killed over 1,000 people – most of them Muslims – while he was chief minister of the state.
Indian government took stern action against BBC
While the BBC has said the documentary was “rigorously researched”, the Indian government dubbed it a “propaganda piece” that revealed a “colonial mindset”.
The response to the film, which is critical of Narendra Modi’s handling of the riots when he was the CM of the state, has been swift and stern. The govt has exercised emergency powers vested in it under the Information Technology Rules 2021, to block the documentary on social media platforms YouTube and Twitter. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has trashed the documentary as propaganda.
“If anything, this film or documentary is a reflection on the agency & individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of this exercise and the agenda behind it,” Arindam Bagchi, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson.
