Ashish Ranjan
Resolution for action against BBC: Vipul Patel, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is scheduled to introduce a resolution in the Gujarat Assembly demanding “strict action” against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for airing a “fabricated” documentary on the Gujarat riots of 2002.
On March 10, Patel, an MLA from the Sojitra Assembly constituency in the Anand district, is expected to introduce a “private member’s resolution” in the House’s second session.
“Yes, I will discuss it on the House floor in a couple of days. I am not against anyone. However, I stand by my beliefs. I cannot comment further at this time,” Patel told.
The resolution that is expected to be introduced on March 10 (according to the Gujarat Assembly’s published agenda for the day) states that the Gujarat Assembly “should request the Indian government to take strict action against the fabricated BBC documentary.” It states that “BBC appears to have a hidden agenda against the Indian government and the country.”
The resolution begins by stating that the BBC documentary on the burning of the Godhra train in 2002 and the subsequent communal riots is an attempt to “blame” the state government.
It asserts that the government of Gujarat appointed the Nanavati-Shah Commission (consisting of Justices GT Nanavati and KG Shah), which “made history” by bringing the conduct of the then-chief minister and his ministers under the Commission’s purview. After a thorough investigation, the Commission concluded that the burning of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002 was a “pre-planned conspiracy” and that the subsequent communal riots were “spontaneous.”
According to the resolution, the Commission’s report presented to the Gujarat Assembly stated that there was no evidence that the state government or any religious or political organisation was involved in the communal riots. It adds that even the Supreme Court categorically denied the state government’s involvement or inaction (in the riots).
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The recently released BBC documentary is an attempt to tarnish the reputation and popularity of India’s former chief minister and current prime minister. The documentary comes twenty years after the incident and is nothing more than a “agenda” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose prestige and leadership are admired internationally, according to the resolution, which also notes that previous court attempts to hold the chief minister and government officials accountable have failed. It also states that Indian media outlets cannot abuse the country’s “freedom.”
