All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Income Tax Department survey operation at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai. Recalling the Emergency period (1975-77), Owaisi asserted that the saffron party used to “praise the foreign broadcaster”.
He also stressed on the freedom of the press and said that “if the media only shows news praising the ruling party and ignoring all news that is critical of the government, then that will weaken the democracy”.
“Who can deny what happened in Gujarat?…Today raids are being conducted,” he told reporters as quoted by news agency ANI.
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The Hyderabad MP also supported the statement issued by the Editors Guild of India on the IT survey. “When it suited the BJP during the Emergency period, their leaders used to praise the BBC. I am sure that the BBC will continue to tell the truth to the people. The timing is absolutely wrong and that is why the Editors Guild issued a right statement condemning the raids,” he said, reported PTI.
On Tuesday, the Editors Guild of India expressed deep concerns about the IT surveys at BBC offices. “Is distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organizations that are critical of the ruling establishment,” they said in a statement.
The I-T department continued its ‘survey operation’ at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai for the second consecutive day on Wednesday to investigate the alleged tax evasion. The survey came just weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots – ‘India: The Modi Question’.
The foreign broadcaster has also said that it is “fully cooperating” with the IT department. “The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” they said on Twitter.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)