On 17 May 2014 on the BBC’s #Newsnight show that discussed Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi’s stupendous election victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor characterized Narendra Modi thus:
India has dreamed itself a dream with a mass murderer as its main character.
Anish Kapoor is of course entitled to have his views but as a sculptor and a public figure of some standing, the least he could have done was to exercise restraint. But the bigger blame should lie squarely at the BBC’s door because it appears that the anchor of that #newsnight show did nothing to censure Anish.
As one of the world’s leading news organizations, the BBC is surely aware of the two main facts about Narendra Modi purely in the context of the #newsnight show.
1. The Supreme Court of India has exonerated Narendra Modi of any culpability in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
2. Narendra Modi has been duly elected by the people of India in free, fair, and transparent elections held in the world’s largest democracy.
It is clear that Anish Kapoor is contemptuous of the verdict of the highest court of India. It is also clear that Anish Kapoor has abused all Indians only because they chose to elect Narendra Modi out of their own free will.
And by not censuring Anish Kapoor, it appears that the BBC tacitly endorses Anish Kapoor’s abuse. Ian Katz (Twitter: @iankatz1000) editor of the BBC #Newsnight show must clarify whether Anish Kapoor’s characterization of Narendra Modi as a mass murderer is also the official view of the BBC about Narendra Modi.
As a platform for restoring decency in public discourse, IndiaFacts calls upon the Indian people to boycott the BBC. If you are on Twitter, please use the hashtag: #boycottBBC and link to this piece.
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