Prosecute BBC: Gujarat Assembly passes resolution requesting Centre on 2002 riots documentary

The Gujarat Assembly on Friday passed a unanimous resolution asking the Centre to prosecute BBC for its controversial documentary. BJP MLA Vipul Patel moved the private resolution while several of his party's MLAs supported the motion. Opposition Congress members were not present in the House.

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a non-governmental resolution unanimously requesting the Central Government to take stringent action against BBC for defaming India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi globally by broadcasting its controversial documentary on the 2002 Godhra riots. The opposition Congress members were not present in the House.

The non-official resolution against the BBC documentary was presented in the House with all ministers and BJP MLAs including Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel present. It was passed by voice vote in the absence of Congress MLAs who were expelled from the House earlier in the day. BJP MLA Vipul Patel moved a private motion regarding the BBC documentary.

Speaking on the motion, BJP MLA Manisha Vakil spoke in English saying that some NGOs have tarnished the global image of Gujarat and India through BBC though the Supreme Court has also given its verdict on the 2002 riots and the SIT (Special Investigation Team) constituted at that time also gave a clean chit to the state government. Several other BJP MLAs spoke in support of the resolution.

BBC's controversial documentary named 'India: The Modi Question' presented the events of Godhra training burning and the incidents thereafter in 2002 in a new light, which the BJP members in the Gujarat Assembly described as an attempt to tarnish India's image globally. The 2002 riots probed by BBC took place when Narendra Modi was the Gujarat Chief Minister.

The first part of the BBC documentary was released on 17 January 2023 and the documentary of the second phase was released on 24 January 2023. Both parts were banned in India. In his speech in the House, BJP MLA Amit Thakar questioned the propriety of reigniting a topic that is 20- years old topic that people have forgotten. It is a conspiracy to destabilize India internationally, he said taking strong objection to the BBC documentary.

The BJP member further said that when Kar Sevaks were visiting Ayodhya on the day of the Godhra carnage, only S6 and S7 coaches were doused with petrol and burnt. Even children and women were not spared when the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi along with the Health Minister and the Home Minister rushed to the spot and took immediate action, he said.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Shanghvi made a statement in the House regarding the BBC documentary, saying that BBC has released such a false documentary against a leader who took many important decisions at that critical time.