"Modi is the father of hypocrisy": Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera

Stepping up its attack on the Modi government over IT "survey" at the BBC offices, Congress on Wednesday called PM Modi the "father of hypocrisy".

Addressing the media, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera called out ruling dispensation for branding BBC as a conspirator against India.

“If BBC is a part of a foreign conspiracy, why did you raid Dainik Bhaskar, NewsClick, Newslaundry, NDTV, The Wire, The Quint, the list is endless. Were they all part of a foreign conspiracy?” said Khera.

“And if everybody is a part of a foreign conspiracy, where is your foreign policy…Yes! India is the mother of democracy but, unfortunately India’s Prime Minister is the "Father of Hypocrisy" which came out very clearly yesterday,” added Khera.

Questioning the narrative propagated by the government, BJP spokesperson and the mainstream media to justify ‘raids’ at BBC offices, Khera asked, “How does Indian Income Tax department come into the picture?”

Highlighting that BBC works on the licence fees, which is paid by the subscribers to a post office in the United Kingdom and then that fees is handed over to BBC to run day to day operations, Khera took a jibe at Modi saying, “They (BBC) do not depend on the advertisements, first of all. How does Indian Income Tax department come into the picture, I don’t understand, I am sure, even Modi Ji doesn’t understand.

“So, if anybody talks about Modi’s past, that media house, its present and its future will be destroyed by Modi’s agencies, his frontal organizations.”

Expressing concerns over India’s poor ranking in the World Press Freedom Index, Khera said that the toolkit to kneel down business houses by using agencies, so that Adani can take them over, stands exposed.

“His pilot team will go first, which will be an agency, then his friend Mr Adani will take over, like it happened in many ports and airports, and in some cases, also in media houses. This toolkit stands exposed. Unfortunately for Modi, Adani can’t take over the BBC,” added Khera.

Supporting Editors Guild of India’s stand on raids at BBC offices, Khera said that the grand old party will not “tolerate these brazen attempts to shut independent media voices in India.”

In reply to a question about the ban imposed by the Indira government on BBC in 1970s, Khera said Congress government never banned BBC – not even during the emergency.

“There was a format (for news coverage) which the BBC denied to full fill during the emergency…No ban was imposed on them (BBC),” Said Khera.

It is worth mentioning here that, after raid at BBC premises on Tuesday, when questions were raised BJP supporters shared a piece of old newspaper on social media, to put forth a counter and said that Congress government had banned BBC in 1970s on account of anti-India coverage.

Khera debunked the “Indira government banned BBC in the1970s” narrative, during the briefing.