UK defends BBC independence, says ‘investing closely’ in relationship with India | World Information

The UK authorities has defended the BBC as a media outlet “impartial in its output“ within the wake of widespread Indian diaspora protests towards the controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing reporters at Downing Avenue on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson echoed an announcement issued by Overseas Secretary James Cleverly in Parliament earlier this week so as to add that the federal government continues to spend money on its relationship with India.

“The BBC is impartial in its output and we might stress that we proceed to treat India as an extremely essential worldwide associate,” the spokesperson stated in response to a query about India’s condemnation of the documentary ‘India: The Modi Query’ questioning the then chief minister’s position within the 2002 Godhra riots.

“We shall be investing closely in our relationship with India over the approaching many years and we’re assured it is going to solely go from power to power,” the spokesperson stated.

It adopted an analogous response by Cleverly within the Home of Commons on Tuesday, when he responded to a query from a Conservative Get together colleague on the assurances the UK authorities had given to India within the wake of coordinated diaspora protests towards the BBC over the weekend.

“I not too long ago had the chance to talk to the Indian Excessive Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, on this and quite a few different points,” the international minister instructed MPs.

“We recognise how this portrayal of the Indian authorities has performed out in India. I made it clear that the BBC is impartial in its output, that the UK regards India as an extremely essential worldwide associate and that we are going to be investing closely in that relationship within the coming many years,” he stated.

The minister was responding to a query by Tory MP Bob Blackman, chair of the All Get together Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Hindus, who termed the documentary as “anti-India propaganda” and requested in regards to the steps taken to “reassure our Commonwealth associate that this propaganda isn’t the coverage of this authorities”.

Cleverly met Doraiswami through the India International Discussion board’s UK-India Parliamentary Lunch final week and addressed the gathering of parliamentarians and enterprise leaders on strengthening bilateral ties throughout all spheres.

“On commerce, we’re nicely into the negotiations of what has all of the hallmarks of being a real international customary bilateral commerce relationship, as a result of we’ve got this excellent bilateral relationship which I like to consider as distinctive,” he stated on the time.