BJP praised BBC when it suited them during Emergency period: Asaduddin Owaisi
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AIMIM president, Asaduddin Owaisi (file photo)
Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Income Tax department's survey operation at BBC offices in India and said the BJP praised the 'foreign broadcaster' when it suited them during the Emergency period (1975-77).
"When it suited the BJP during the Emergency period, their leaders used to praise the BBC. I am sure that the BBC will continue to tell the truth to the people. The timing is absolutely wrong and that is why the Editors Guild issued a right statement condemning the raids," said the Hyderabad MP to the media.
Speaking about the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi, he said the freedom of press is very important in a functional democracy and agreed with the statement condemning the raids issued by the Editors Guild of India. He also expressed hope that BBC will not be pressurised and will continue to tell the truth.
The reporters asked him about the Centre's decision to appoint retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer, who was part of the 2019 Ayodhya verdict, as Governor of Andhra Pradesh. He said there is no constitutional bar on appointing anyone to the honourable post of Governor, but wondered why the retired judge accepted the post.
"Now if some doubts arise in the minds of common people that the biggest litigant in this country is the government. Now, after your retirement, you are given a post by the same government, who is the biggest litigant and you were presiding over that litigation... so, some doubts might arise in the mind of a common man. I don't know whether those doubts are genuine or not," said Owaisi.
"So, these doubts should not have arisen and this will lead to so many questions in the future. I don't know why the honourable retired judge has accepted this post because as a judge he was allotted a house and every facility. It is for the BJP to answer this question," he added.
The Income Tax department investigation against BBC India is ongoing for a second day with officials understood to be making copies of electronic and paper-based financial data of the organisation.