- Tuesday, March 04, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
A major political row broke out between India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition after officials from the income-tax (I-T) department reached offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Delhi and Mumbai for a “survey”. The visit comes weeks after a massive controversy over a documentary series by Britain’s national broadcaster on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and allegations linked to the riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002.
While the opposition lashed out at the Modi government saying the action was “predictable”, “a sign of panic” and a hint that “their end is near”, the ruling party hit back both at the opposition Indian National Congress accusing it of supporting ‘anti-India’ narratives and the BBC, calling the latter “the most corrupt organisation in the world”.
“If any company or organisation is working in India, they have to comply with the Indian law. Why are you scared if you are adhering to the law? The I-T department should be allowed to do their work. BBC is the most corrupt organisation in the world. BBC propaganda matches with Congress agenda,” BJP’s national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said in a press conference.
He also said that the “BBC’s history is black, tarnished, and has been anti-India”, and asked the Congress to remember that Indira Gandhi had once banned the broadcaster.
Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Mahua Moitra, while taking a “how unexpected” jibe, linked it to allegations of short-seller Hindenburg group’s accusing India’s Adani Group of manipulating stocks. She also said that snacks greeted Adani when he visits the office of India’s market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) office.
“Reports of Income Tax raid at BBC’s Delhi office Wow, really? How unexpected. Meanwhile farsaan seva for Adani when he drops in for a chat with Chairman @SEBI_India office,” the opposition MP tweeted.
Senior Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh said while they are demanding a JPC (joint parliamentary committee) probe into the Adani issue, the government is going after the BBC.
“Vinash kale viprit buddhi (when one’s destruction is soon to come, they think unintelligently),” he said.
Another Congress MP KC Venugopal, while condemning the action, said the “raid reeks of desperation”.
“The IT raid at BBC’s offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism. We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer,” he tweeted.
Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, said “their (BJP’s) end is near”.
“When the government and administration become symbols of fear and oppression instead of fearlessness, then it should be understood that their end is near,” he tweeted in Hindi.
Sources meanwhile said the alleged searches at the BBC offices were in view of “the BBC’s deliberate non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits of international taxation”, NDTV reported.
“In the case of the BBC, there has been persistent non-compliance with the above-mentioned rules for years. As a result of the same, several notices have been issued to the BBC. However, the BBC has been continuously defiant and non-compliant and has been significantly diverted their profits.
The key focus of these surveys is to look into manipulation of prices for unauthorised benefits, including tax advantages. These surveys have been undertaken due to BBC’s persistent non-compliance of the norms, making it a repeat offender,” official sources were quoted as saying.
Around 20 tax officials searched the BBC’s office in the capital.
In Mumbai, BBC Studios, which deals with production, was also searched.
According to sources, documents were seized and phones and laptops of journalists were taken away during the alleged searches.
The offices will be sealed for the duration of the survey, and employees have been asked not to share details with anyone, it was added.
Tax officials, however, said this was a survey, not a search, and the phones would be returned.
