By Ranjona Banerji
For three days, the Income Tax authorities carried out a “survey” at the BBC’s offices in Mumbai and Delhi.
You could justifiably argue that tax evasion has to be investigated.
When you argue however that the BBC is an evil colonial organisation which has deliberately targeted your supreme leader… well, that seems to be the story that we’re looking at today.
One of state oppression, of suppressing freedom of speech and of trying any means possible to intimidate the media. Having been almost wholly successful with the Indian media, the ruling dispensation now tries its hand at silencing the international media.
The BBC has, in the Modi government’s eyes, committed a major crime. It released a two-part documentary. The first on the Gujarat riots of 2002 when Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, followed by an episode on the uneasy and often violent relationship that the BJP and the dispensation has with India’s Muslims.
Although the documentary was banned in India, as we have discussed, it was widely seen and discussed within India and abroad. The act of banning itself signified both insecurity and future vindictive action.
That mobile phones and laptops of journalists were apparently seized by IT officials makes it clear that this was not a regular Income Tax raid. The accounts department would have been the target if tax was the sole issue.
But instead what we have staring at us is a gigantic ego which cannot bear to be crossed.
As the Editors Guild points out in a strong statement, every time the Income Tax or Enforcement Directorate are targeted at media houses, it is “against the backdrop of critical coverage of the government establishment by news organisations”.
The Press Club of India statement also links the IT raids on the BBC with the documentary and goes on to say: “We are deeply concerned and distressed that such an action on an international broadcasting network will damage the reputation and image of India as the largest democracy in the world”.
The world of course is watching and noting.
The New York Times was scathing: “In their necessary dealings with Mr Modi American and European leaders should remember that it is only as a democracy, with a free and vibrant press, that India can truly fulfil its global role.”
The Editorial Board clearly calls these raids a “test” for India and for the rest of the world.
International news organizations have obviously connected the raids to the documentary on the riots.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/16/media/india-bbc-office-raid-third-day-thursday-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/tax-raids-at-bbc-offices-in-india-enter-second-day
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156726845/indian-tax-authorities-raid-bbc-weeks-after-it-airs-documentary-critical-of-modi
We have obviously several justifiers within the media, those who cannot look outside the prism of Modi’s shining halo. Whether it is real admiration or fear of retaliation, they look for several excuses – that the timing was wrong for Modi so he had to retaliate, that India’s glory was damaged by the BBC, that the international media is nasty and so on. The truth as we all know is that they would all jump at the chance of working with any foreign media organisation, especially a western one, for both credibility, stature and money. They are therefore plain liars.
There are also those within who buy into the “Indira Gandhi did it” excuse. This is a remarkable twisting of reason within a democracy. As Vir Sanghvi points out in this column, surprisingly in the pro-establishment The Print, Indira Gandhi learnt from her mistakes.
https://theprint.in/opinion/3-reasons-why-the-modi-govt-ordered-an-i-t-raid-on-bbc-none-of-them-make-sense/1373847/
I have one more question about Indira Gandhi and the BJP though. All these worthies within – and from a few other parties – claim that one of their biggest achievements was their opposition to Indira Gandhi, the Emergency and the damage that it did to Indian democracy.
Why do India’s journalists then buy into the excuse made by the BJP that “Indira Gandhi did it first”? Surely, she is the implacable enemy whose actions they would never, ever emulate?
As ever, the cowardice of our mainstream journalists will never let us down.
Until we rediscover our courage, we will always be slaves.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.