On January 17, the BBC aired part one of its two-part historical documentary on the rise of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and the controversy surrounding his role in the horrific Gujarat riots of 2002. Unsurprisingly, a hugely polarising controversy erupted not only in India but also among the Indian diaspora in Britain and around the world.
To give just one example, Indian-origin Tory peer Lord Rami Ranger wrote to BBC director-general Tim Davie to protest what he called the “sinister” timing of India: The Modi Question. He linked his objections to India’s G20 presidency, Rishi Sunak as Britain’s first Indian-origin prime minister, and the proposed UK-India trade agreement. His letter managed to bring in Pakistan, British perfidy in bringing about Partition, and Bangladeshi immigration into India on a “large scale”.
