By Aubrey Alegretti and Kiran Stacey
London, January 30 (The Guardian): A Conservative peer has been accused of using “deplorable” and “racially charged language” in a scathing attack on the BBC’s recent documentary about the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.
Rami Ranger, who is already under investigation by the standards commissioners in the Lords, was criticised for comments made about Pakistani journalists at the corporation.
He hit out at a documentary that has caused significant controversy in India and been banned from YouTube and Twitter by authorities there over the depiction of Modi’s role in riots in 2002.
Lord Ranger wrote to the BBC director general, Tim Davie, to complain about the film and demanded to know “if your Pakistani-origin staff were behind this nonsense”.
In the letter, seen by the Guardian, he called the production “insensitive” and one-sided, accusing the BBC of having “opened old wounds by creating hatred between British Hindus and Muslims”.
Ranger also branded the film an insult to Modi, saying he had been exonerated from being involved in the riots in any way.
The two-part BBC documentary revealed memos showing that Modi’s conduct was criticised by western diplomats and the British government in the aftermath of the 2002 religious riots that broke out when a train was set on fire, killing dozens of Hindu pilgrims.
Modi has been haunted for decades by allegations of complicity in the violence that followed, in which more than 1,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed. Modi has previously denied accusations that he failed to stop the rioting, and in 2013 a supreme court panel said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
India’s ministry of information and broadcasting recently issued directions to ban any excerpts of the documentary being shared on social media under legislation introduced in 2021 that allow for the “blocking of information in case of emergency”.
Ranger’s attacks on the BBC closely aligned with those made by the Indian government, which has dismissed the documentary as colonial propaganda.
Another Tory peer, Dolar Popat, wrote to Davie on the day the second part of the documentary was released, calling it “heavily one-sided” and urging for the film to be pulled.
Meanwhile, Ranger continues to mix in senior Conservative circles, despite the open inquiry into his behaviour about alleged bullying and harassment of a freelance reporter and women’s rights campaigner.
Earlier this month, the peer hosted a lavish dinner in support of the Maidenhead and Beaconsfield Conservative Associations, at which Theresa May, who nominated Ranger for a peerage when she was prime minister, was the guest of honour.
The event took place at London’s Carlton Club, where guests drank champagne, ate dinner and listened to speeches from Ranger, May and others.
In response, Ranger said he had paid for the event, adding that it was held to “celebrate the cultural and historical ties between the UK and India – especially with the impending free trade agreement between the two countries, which will bring immense economic benefit to both nations.”
He defended his singling out of certain journalists. “I referred to ‘any Pakistani origin’ staff of the BBC as, unfortunately, the politics of the subcontinent has been known to impact the UK, which again not conducive or helpful to our social cohesion and fragile race relation in building greater community relations,” he said.
Chris Elmore, Labour’s vice-chair, said that for the Tory peer to “put pressure on the BBC in this way is unacceptable” and called Ranger’s comments about Pakistani journalists “racially charged” and “deplorable”.
Elmore said the allegations that Ranger was already being investigated over were “extremely serious” and called on May to “explain why she thought him a suitable person for a fundraising event”.
He urged the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to explain “what he is doing about the scandal and sleaze engulfing his party from all angles and how this meets his promise of integrity, professionalism and accountability.”
A spokesperson for May said: “It would be inappropriate to comment while this matter [the allegations against Ranger] is under investigation.”
The BBC said it had yet to receive the letter, but it defended the journalists behind the Modi documentary. A spokesperson said the film was “rigorously researched according to highest editorial standards” and added that the corporation was “committed to highlighting important issues from around the world”.
They added: “A wide range of voices, witnesses and experts were approached, and we have featured a range of opinions – this includes responses from people in the BJP [Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party]. We offered the Indian government a right to reply to the matters raised in the series – it declined to respond.”
END
