This is how the spokesperson of India's foreign ministry handled some pointed questions about the BBC documentary on PM Modi's Gujarat riots past.
Category
๐
NewsTranscript
00:00The report on the Gujarat riots of 2002, is India checking up this report with UK?
00:06Which report?
00:07Sir, you may be aware that BBC has recently broadcast a documentary, a longish documentary
00:36on the Gujarat riots, which also says that Narendra Modi was the perpetrator of ethnic
00:43cleansing.
00:45Now, this is based on a secret document that apparently, the question has come from, just
00:53to explain to you, has come from the foreign office of 2002.
00:59Now, what is the Indian government's reaction to it?
01:04The British Prime Minister has spoken, but what has the Indian government said or done
01:09about it?
01:10We're giving some examples from the BBC documentary, I presume the one you talk about was day before
01:15something like that.
01:16Do note that this has not been screened in India.
01:19So, I am only going to comment on the context of what I have heard about the, or have my
01:25colleagues have seen.
01:26Let me just make it very clear, we think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular
01:31discredited narrative.
01:34The bias, lack of objectivity and frankly, a continuing colonial mindset is blatantly
01:40visible.
01:41If anything, this film or documentary is a reflection on the agency and individuals that
01:48are peddling this narrative again.
01:52It makes us wonder about the purpose of this exercise and the agenda behind it.
01:58And frankly, we do not wish to dignify such efforts.
02:00Arindam Smita Sharma, just to follow up, I'm kind of confused as to how can a documentary
02:06be labelled as propaganda if it has not been viewed in India, as you say?
02:11And also, a very specific question, I mean, the documentary does show the former foreign
02:17secretary of UK, then Jack Straw on record saying that there is this cable that exists,
02:22internal report that exists.
02:24Does India confirm or deny this report?
02:27Is India taking this up?
02:29The report on the Gujarat riots of 2002, is India taking up this report with UK?
02:35Which report?
02:36The report that Mr. Jack Straw refers to in the documentary, that there is an internal
02:42cable of the UK government.
02:44Fair enough.
02:45Yeah, Kallol.
02:46I will continue with that, I'm Kallol from The Hindu.
02:52The BBC documentary also says that the Gujarat riots actually led to the killing of UK citizens
03:01of Indian origin.
03:02So, did the UK government ever take this up with the Indian government before, the death
03:07of UK citizens in the Gujarat riots?
03:10You mean take up is in what, as a legal thing?
03:13Legal thing for the sake of justice or damage, diplomatically, you know.
03:18I'm not sure you are asking the right question.
03:20Why would they take up a case diplomatically for a death?
03:24I mean, there are citizens like, you know, there are citizens dying in a riot.
03:27The question is a very broad one, I'll try to answer.
03:29I'm not fully convinced of the question yourself.
03:31Smita and Kallol, I'll try to answer both your questions.
03:33Look, you can't have it both ways.
03:36I am confirming that this, as far as I know, is not available for viewing here.
03:40Ideally, the question shouldn't have been asked to me, you know.
03:43But people are happy to ask me a question which is not to be viewed in India.
03:45This is because we have a high commission, we have information to that video.
03:50Okay, so that is not being screened here.
03:52I am repeating again.
03:55We think it's a propaganda piece.
03:57Our assessment is this is a propaganda piece.
03:59Now, how can you say that?
04:00I'm saying it.
04:01We have seen it and I feel it's a propaganda piece.
04:03I don't know what's the perspective.
04:05You could say it's not aired here, true.
04:07But I'm happily answering questions here.
04:09I'm happy to say it's not aired in India and I could say, I have no comment to make.
04:13But since you asked, I am responding to it.
04:16The separate question you had about the comments by a former foreign secretary in that and
04:22something about reports that he is referring, look, he seems to be referring to some internal
04:26UK report.
04:27How do I have access to that?
04:29And it's a 20-year-old report.
04:32Why would I just jump on it now?
04:34Just because Jack Strauss says it, how does it relate to that much legitimacy?
04:40I heard words like inquiry and investigation.
04:42There's a reason we use the word colonial mindset.
04:45We don't use words loosely.
04:47What inquiry?
04:48There were diplomats here.
04:49Investigation.
04:50Are they ruling the country?
04:51I'm sorry, I do not agree with that characterization and obviously, there is an agenda behind it.
04:56UK citizens death, look, if there are deaths here in our country, they're followed by our
05:02legal procedure.
05:03Whether they took it up in 2002, look, I don't have any answer.
05:07I wasn't around and I'll have to check whether it was taken up, whether that's a formality
05:11of taking up or not with the legal systems.
05:14But as you very well know, there is a lot of legal process against deaths that have
05:17happened during that time.
05:20I wouldn't be able to answer whether it was taken up or not without checking the facts
05:23of that.