PANJIM: Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai has criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots and has termed it as a ‘conspiracy’ against India.
In his Republic Day address to the State, the Governor said that the ‘character assassination of the Prime Minister’ amounts to an onslaught, insult and a malicious act against the country.
The Governor said that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is not an independent organisation. “It is answerable to British Parliament. I am not blaming the British government but there’s some conspiracy against India,” he said.
“This means character assassination of the Prime Minister… amounts to an onslaught, an insult, a malicious act against the country. That is why I would like to say. BBC’s present act is not good,” he added.
Pillai said that the present controversy was ‘ill-motivated’, and maintained that he is not criticising Britain as it is ‘one of the friendly countries of India now’.
Stating he does not want to go much into the present circumstances surrounding the controversy, the Governor said that after India’s Prime Minister became the head of the G20 group, Modi ji has given a call for ‘one world, one family, one future’.
Pillai said that unlike a common citizen who can approach the court in case of character assassination, the PM, President, Vice President and ministers have to be represented by public prosecutors in similar cases and should be given justice.
Talking to mediapersons post his address, the Governor said that an attack or character assassination of the Prime Minister would amount to an attack on the sovereignty of the country.
The Governor further said that the ‘attack’ on the Prime Minister is also a challenge to the Indian Judiciary.
“Indian judiciary is the finest in the world. They had monitored this case (Gujarat riots) and there is nothing to connect the Prime Minister to it, not even a whisper is against him,” he said.
The documentary titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ has sparked major controversy across country.
