Mumbai: The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Saturday adopted a resolution against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying that the documentary was an attempt at tarnishing the country's judiciary and create a rift in the society on the religious lines.
The resolution was moved by BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar in the House against the UK broadcaster. The resolution which was passed by a voice vote in the House amid opposition members' walkout — stated that the BBC documentary tried to create a 'false' and 'misleading' narrative about the 2002 Gujarat communal flare-ups when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the helm of affairs in the State of Gujarat as its Chief Minister.
According to the legislator, the BBC documentary also tried to tarnish the Indian judiciary. The BJP MLA further alleged that the documentary aired by BBC in a two-part series titled 'India: The Modi Question' looked into certain aspects of the Gujarat riots, aimed at giving a 'bad name' or at crafting a negative image for the country.
On Feb. 17, 2023, the BBC aired part of the documentary with the sole purpose of defaming the country, stated the resolution. Hence, the House strongly condemns the airing of the BBC documentary. The BBC documentary portrayed the Gujarat riots in 2002 in a false and fictional manner, the resolution read.
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The House passed the resolution by a voice vote. The Opposition members were not present in the House when the resolution was taken up for discussion. Earlier, the Opposition members had walked out of the House alleging a late response to the Speaker's decision to take action against those erring members who had hit a poster of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with footwear on the legislature premises.
