The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that BBC’s propaganda and the Congress’s agenda are similar even as teams from the Income Tax department were at the British broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday in what officials from the department described as a “survey”.
Addressing the media on the tax survey at BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged that BBC is the “most corrupt organisation”. “BBC is ‘Bhrasht Bhakwaas Corporation’ (corrupt, rubbish, corporation),” he described.
“Income Tax Department must be allowed to do its work,” Bhatia said, adding that “if BBC did no wrong, then why are scared”.
Bhatia also said the BBC should not “spew venom” while operating in India. “The BBC indulges in anti-India propaganda,” Bhatia told reporters.
“India is a country which gives an opportunity to every organisation… as long as you don’t spew venom,” he added.
He also slammed the Congress for criticising the survey, reminding the Congress that it “should remember former prime minister Indira Gandhi had banned BBC”.
The visit from tax officials comes less than a month after the BBC released a two-part documentary, India: The Modi Question, which looked at the 2002 Gujarat riots, and was dismissed as the Indian government as “propaganda”.
A Central Board of Direct Taxes official confirmed to HT that officials were at the BBC office in New Delhi. “It is a survey and not a raid,” he said.
The synchronised surprise action began at 11am with I-T officials reaching the BBC offices in Delhi and in Mumbai. BBC staffers were asked to keep their phones at a particular spot inside the premises, news agency PTI reported citing officials.
The department is looking at documents related to the business operations of the London headquartered public broadcaster and its Indian arm, it added.
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