Surely, the Government will have properly thought through its decision to initiate the Income Tax raids on the BBC offices in India. It would be utterly pointless if it turns out that there have been no irregularities or illegalities. In fact, it would strengthen the narrative that India is being run as an autocracy. And, if it does turn out that the BBC has been breaking the law, the argument that it should not be raided merely because it is a news organisation will fall flat on its face. This much, however, is certain – the present government is sending a clear message that it will not be intimidated merely because the BBC supposedly enjoys privileges as a western media outfit over and above Indian entities.
It should not be forgotten that such immunity from the law does not exist in the BBC’s land of origin. Even at the present, the BBC Chairman, Richard Sharp, is under scrutiny in Britain for having allegedly arranged a loan for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson as quid pro quo for being appointed to the position. British opinion is divided on the issue and Sharp has the support of the present PM, Rishi Sunak, but nobody is claiming that the matter should not be investigated because it involves the media.
This does not mean, of course, that there will not be consequences for the Modi Government, because the double standards of western ‘democracies’ are well known. The BBC and its like are not just media organisations, they are extensions of western soft power that does not hesitate to take advantage even of the remnants of colonial privileges. It is clear, however, that the Indian establishment is no longer intimidated and wishes to send a clear message not to ‘mess with the Zohan’. There is absolutely no doubt that hatchet jobs are being carried out from western countries in the bid to keep India in its place – be it the Hindenburg hit on Adani, or the so-called ‘documentary’ on the Gujarat riots. This is not necessarily the stand of the respective governments but of political ideologies rooted in the mindset of the past.
Media organisations too should take a lesson from these developments. The freedom of media has no special provision in the Indian Constitution – it flows from the individual’s freedom of speech. Its duty is to exercise this freedom responsibly and ensure it is fair, impartial and above board in its dealings.
