BBC documentary: US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday that he was not familiar with the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he added that he was familiar with the shared values that enact the United States and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies.
“I’m not familiar with the documentary you’re referring to, however, I am very familiar with the shared values that enact the United States and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies,” Price said. He was responding to a media query on a BBC documentary on PM Modi which has sparked controversy since its release.
Indo-US partnership
Price, while addressing a press briefing on Monday, said there are numerous elements that bolster the US’ global strategic partnership with India which include political, economic and exceptionally deep people-to-people ties.
Calling India’s democracy a vibrant one, he said “we look to everything that ties us together, and we look to reinforce all of those elements that tie us together,” as he underlined the diplomatic ties that US and India share with each other.
He also said that the US shares a deep partnership with India. Both nations share the values that are common to American democracy and to Indian democracy.
“I’m not aware of this documentary that you point to, but I will say broadly, is that there are a number of elements that undergird the global strategic partnership that we have with our Indian partners. There are close political ties, there are economic ties, and there are exceptionally deep people-to-people ties between the United States and India. But one of those additional elements are the values that we share the values that are common to American democracy and to Indian democracy,” he added.
‘A propaganda piece’
The BBC documentary questions PM Modi’s leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots. He was the chief minister of Gujarat in 2002 when the communal riots broke out following the burning of a train in Godhra. The Indian government has called the documentary a “propaganda piece designed to push a discredited narrative”.
Meanwhile, British PM Rishi Sunak refused to comment on the documentary when the Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain questioned him. Sunak said he “doesn’t agree with the characterisation” of his Indian counterpart.
“The UK government’s position on this has been clear and longstanding and hasn’t changed, of course, we don’t tolerate persecution where it appears anywhere but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterisation that the honourable gentleman has put forward to,” Sunak said.
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