British-Indian MP flays BBC over Modi coverage

A British-Indian MP has come down heavily on the BBC for a programme on India’s new prime minister Narendra Modi which she stated was not objective.

In a letter to BBC’s director general Lord Tony Hall dated May 19, Priti Patel, British PM David Cameron’s Indian diaspora champion, brought to notice the complaints she received about BBC Newsnight aired on May 16, which covered the day the results of India’s general election was announced.

‘Many in the British-Indian community, particularly those of Gujarati origin, were offended by the reporting about PM-elect Narendra Modi,’ Patel, MP from Britain’s Witham constituency in Essex, stated.

She pointed out the programme’s presenter, Yalda Hakim, referred to Modi as a ‘controversial figure’ from the beginning of the programme. ‘Modi’s political opponents have portrayed him as being ‘controversial’, so by using this reference, the BBC, who should be impartial, is giving acceptance to the political position of Modi’s opponents rather than reporting objectively,’ Patel stated.

‘The term ‘controversial’ could be used to describe a large number of politicians, which is why many people in Britain’s Indian community believe its use purely in relation to Modi in the news item was unbalanced,’ she added.

‘Modi secured the largest democratic mandate in world history in a peaceful and professional manner. This was a point which was not conveyed by the presenter,’ Patel, a Conservative Party MP, wrote.