BBC in hands of people with agenda against India, says Union Minister Puri

Following allegations from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) that freedom of press in India was lacking, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday took a jibe at the broadcaster, saying that the BBC is in the hands of people who have an agenda against India.

"...Our laws are very transparent. If someone is not paying tax and we send notice to them, then they say, it is an issue of Freedom of the Press...I would not like to go into details but some of their actions in the past made it seem that they were in the hands of people with an agenda on India...," Puri said while addressing the media.

The Union Minister is on a two-day visit to Jammu to evaluate the implementation of a development project of his Ministry.


The BBC's comments came after India's Income Tax department conducted searches at the offices of the British broadcaster in New Delhi and Mumbai earlier this year, in February

Government action on the broadcaster followed the release of a documentary titled 'India: The Modi Question,' which drew sharp criticism from the Indian government, which said that the film tarnished the country's image.

Following a survey by the Income Tax Department, the ED had earlier also sent a summons to BBC, calling for an inquiry into the matter.

The government, in January, directed social media platforms to block YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary, accusing the broadcaster of trying to destabilize the country.