Between news readers and news editors are another powerful force, hidden and vicious; they are the owners and ensure that their media rigorously follows the style and language, not transgressing a bit. The media, over the decades, have transformed into an industry, the governments patronizing with life-saving advertorial revenues, or denying them such, as a punitive measure for taking opposing stands.
The British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC, was established by a Royal charter, renewable every ten years, as an independent body corporate committed to promoting public purposes and is publicly funded. It is not government-owned and is often seen competing with the tabloids in “yellow journalism” in the name of investigation and neutral reporting.
BBC has brought out a documentary series on the communal riots, which engulfed Gujarat, following Godhra massacre of torching and killing many Kar-sevaks returning from Ayodhya. The BBC’s one goal is to crucify Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the riots. The question of Modi’s involvement had made the rounds to the highest court, where he and Amit Shah have been exonerated.
However, for the West, Modi is a whipping boy for a situation that the British alone should be blamed for polarising and dividing Muslim and Hindu communities. Agencies like the BBC act as extensions of long-ended British colonialism and its legacy. Many in Britain still dream of an empire “where the sun never sets,” knowing well that they may not receive their next pension due to a paucity of funds and economic chaos.
The alacrity with which the Indian government has banned links to the BBC documentary may be a typical knee-jerk reaction. The PMO has acted in a predictable, self-defeating manner. Not all will see the documentary, which will then galvanise public opinion against the film. Kerala has taken the lead to show the documentary in Trivandrum, in defiance of the government’s diktat. I am though confounded as to how would they do it? Will it not confront a country? Is this also a game plan of the West, reeling under a self-asserting Modi-led Indian government that denies them lucrative defence contracts and vaccine orders to cause deeper divisions within communities?
Regardless of the hugs and policy embraces, regardless of the Quad and other forums, no matter how much India tries to lean towards the West, India will be despised and distanced from the core west group. That is only until Modi heads the Indian government. It could be a different matter if any other party wins and gets to govern, returning to the happy days of lucrative defence deals.
The BBC cannot break India. They must, instead, focus on the conversion of many shires and counties into strictly-minority zones, barred for entry for their security agencies and the police. Will the BBC do a truthful documentary on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the famines that the Raj engineered, resulting in millions of deaths in Bengal and elsewhere? Then talk about neutrality and transparency in reporting!
Jai Hind
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
