‘It’s venomous’, Yes Mr P Sainath but not the GOI but your BBC, so it needs to be defanged
Sainath also talked about the reactions and actions of the larger Indian media towards the move so far. “Shamefully, the Indian media are so craven about it. Are the TV channels protesting, ” he asked.
So trying to defend the freedom of this BBC, this man Sainath is even ranting on the larger Indian media for debunking and castigating the schemers and wheelers and dealers in the BBC who plan to run down the Indian PM and India. After a long time these Schemers are being shown their true faces these champions of “ freedom of speech “ need to be defanged.
As Centre censored the BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and his then state government’s response to the 2002 Gujarat riots, columnist P Sainath, seems to be the very epitome of Gentleman, but as a journalist acting very naive about the British fondness of the GREAT GAME.
This chapter without application of his mind has called the GOI move “venomous” and said the media reaction to it was “craven”. But who has been asking this chap for his comments ?
The government of India has rightly called it “a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative” even as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered YouTube to block the first episode of the BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question. The ministry also directed the social media platform Twitter to block more than 50 tweets that have links to the documentary on YouTube.
The Centre invoked its emergency powers under IT Rules, 2021, to block videos and tweets sharing the first of the two episodes of the documentary, which focuses on the response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the then Gujarat chief minister, towards the Gujarat riots in 2002, over these two platforms.
So this Sainath had an interaction with Indian Express on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival, and suddenly Sainath had a platform to give out his mind. He said, “[The action] is so petty, it is so venomous … They are willing to wipe out anything that criticises Mr Modi, his government or his parties.”
“A large number of Indians will not be able to access it now, ” Sainath said, feeling sad that the BBC propaganda has been banished. “But look at the sources in that documentary. Former foreign secretary and people at the ministerial levels of the UK government are speaking … And you [the government] just obliterate it?” added Sainath, Founder-Editor, People’s Archive of Rural India. So this chap has so much faith in the white politicians who are in the opposition but little respect for the people of Gujarat, the Indian Courts, the people of India and their common sense being displayed since last nearly 20 years.
On Saturday, Opposition leaders had also criticised the government’s orders to YouTube and Twitter over the BBC documentary calling it “censorship”.
Sainath also talked about the reactions and actions of the larger Indian media towards the move so far. “Shamefully, the Indian media are so craven about it. Are the TV channels protesting? Are the newspapers writing lead editorials saying that this is a criminal action? … It is not just censorship. In the media, we are seeing the large-scale adoption of self-censorship. They don’t have to be told not to do something, they just don’t allow stories to appear. That is the great tragedy, ” said the senior journalist.
Calling the present state of the Indian media as being “at its lowest in the last 200 years, ” he said, “[out of them], about 160 years were quite glorious [for the Indian media]. It had much to be proud of.”
Referring to Raja Rammohan Roy’s publication Mirat-Ul-Akhbar in 1822, Sainath said, “At that time, Roy had shut down his publication as a mark of protest against the censorship of the press. Look at that courage, and look at that now”.
Oh Sainath, the BBC needs to be completely banned from operating from within India but the GOI has not done it….why….. because probably Indians hope that BBC will make proper documentary on 1857 Delhi Massacre of Indians by East India, Massacre of Indians all over North India in 1857, 194Os Bengal feminine induced by Churchils action, 1947 riots in India under British planning and so on. May be they can be then permitted to make documentaries of various riots under Congress Party Chief Ministers and even the Delhi Riots in 1984.
