Centre must tell country reasons behind IT raids on BBC: Rajasthan CM Gehlot

Kota: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday slammed the Modi government over the Income Tax survey operation at the BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai, and said targeting the British broadcaster would defame the country in the world.

Gehlot also demanded that the Centre must tell the country the reasons behind "raids" at BBC offices.

The chief minister made the remarks while talking to reporters at Kota airport.

"It is beyond comprehension...the way Income Tax department, CBI and Enforcement Directorate conducting raids, what they (NDA) want," Gehlot said, adding these central agencies should have been impartial and independent.

"Now BBC has been targeted. It has credibility across the world," Gehlot said.

"Reason must be given to the country when they (NDA) have targeted the organisations like BBC and take the people in confidence on it, otherwise the government as well as the country would be defamed in the world," Gehlot said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making fun over a goof-up during Gehlot's budget presentation in the state assembly, the CM said entire Rajasthan was defamed in the country for a minor human error of reading two paras of previous budget only for 34 seconds.

At a rally in Rajasthan’s Dausa on Sunday, PM Modi had picked on a blunder at the Rajasthan Budget presentation Friday, when Gehlot mistakenly read portions of the last year’s budget in the assembly.