New Delhi: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the British Parliament and said he doesn’t agree with the BBC documentary series that questions the latter’s leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, news agency ANI reported.
"The UK government's position on this has been clear and long-standing and hasn't changed, of course, we don't tolerate persecution where it appears anywhere but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterization that the honourable gentleman has put forward to," Sunak said while responding to Hussain's question on the BBC report.
The British PM’s remarks come in the wake of the controversial documentary that was raised in the Parliament by Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain.
Condemning the series, prominent UK Citizen Lord Rami Ranger said the "BBC caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians."
Rami tweeted, "@BBCNews You have caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians It insults a democratically elected@PMOIndia Indian Police & the Indian judiciary. We condemn the riots and loss of life & also condemn your biased reporting."
Terming the documentary a “completely biased copy”, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We think this is a propaganda piece. This has no objectivity. This is biased. Do note that this hasn't been screened in India. We don't want to answer more on this so that this doesn't get much dignity."
"The documentary is a reflection of the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it; frankly, we do wish to dignify these efforts," Bagchi added.
It is to be noted that UK's National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series attacking PM Narendra Modi's tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister during the riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.