DD News portrays BJP-linked Muslims UCC backing as ordinary Muslims voice
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New Delhi: The national broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) News has reportedly presented Muslims affiliated to the ruling BJP as common Muslims who supported the Central government’s proposed Uniform Civil Code.
In short videos uploaded on DD News' YouTube channels, the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh who were interviewed by DD News were portrayed as ordinary Muslim citizens expressing support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to implement the Uniform Civil Code. They commented that the code is beneficial not only for the Muslim community but also for the nation.
The video, featuring interviews with Muslims from Hapur and Bareilly districts in Uttar Pradesh, was uploaded on the YouTube channels of DD National and DD News UP.
The exposition of the UCC-backing Muslims’ BJP alliance has been made by Newslaundary, an independent news portal, that held a fact check into the claims made by DD News.
The video from Hapur included an interview with Danish Qureishi, who was introduced as a local citizen expressing support for the UCC. However, it later transpired that Qureishi is the vice president of the BJP Minority Morcha in Hapur, having joined the party in 2014. Qureishi confirmed this fact and even claimed to have organized a rally of burqa-clad women in front of a BJP leader in the past.
Another interviewee from the Hapur video, Muhammad Shakir, expressed his support for the UCC without any known political affiliation. Three other interviewees were included, but their political affiliations remain unconfirmed due to a lack of information. Parvez Ali, the DD News correspondent from Hapur, did not respond to inquiries about the video, further adding to the controversy.
The video from Bareilly focused on divorced Muslim women supporting the UCC. Among them was Farhat Naqvi, sister of BJP politician Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who has been an advocate against instant triple talaq and publicly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in implementing the UCC.
Another interviewee, Nida Khan, was described as a member of the Aala Hazrat Helping Society but was not identified as a BJP member. However, it was later revealed that Khan had joined the BJP in January 2022.
Critics argue that DD News failed to disclose the political affiliations of these interviewees, thus misleading viewers by portraying them as common Muslim citizens. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred, as DD News had previously faced criticism for similar practices during the UP assembly election.
When approached for comment, DD News UP joint director Gargi Malik did not respond to the inquiries to Newslaundery. This raises questions about the editorial practices and intentions behind the creation of the video. It is speculated that DD News may have specifically sought out 'positive' videos supporting the UCC, as suggested by one of the correspondents involved in sourcing the interviews.