British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. File photo | Photo Credit: AP
The UK government defended the independence of the BBC on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, and the UK’s relationship with India after supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Modi government in India and the UK. Strong objection to a BBC documentary It was a deep criticism of Mr. Modi’s relations with India’s Muslims and Mr. Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
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“You will appreciate that the BBC is independent in its output. And we will stress that we regard India as an incredibly important international partner,” a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday. told the foreign press at the briefing. “We will invest heavily in our relationship with India in the coming decades and we are confident that it will only grow stronger,” the spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he had met Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, to discuss the documentary and other issues.
“I recently had the opportunity to speak to the Indian High Commissioner on this and many other issues. We recognize that this has been the portrayal of the Government of India in India,” Mr. Cleverly said in Parliament.
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“I have made it clear that the BBC is independent in its output, that the UK regards India as an incredibly important international partner and we will be investing heavily in that relationship over the coming decades,” Mr Cleverly said.
Mr. Doraiswamy and Mr. Chaturai met on January 25 at a lunch hosted by the India Global Forum, an advocacy group. However, it is not known whether the documentary was discussed at the event.