IT raids on BBC may dent global image of Modi: Congress MP Digvijaya

Bhopal: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday suggested the Income Tax department survey at the offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) may dent the international image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Rajya Sabha MP said the BBC has faced such an action perhaps for the first time in its more than 100 years of existence.

"Perhaps, this is for the first time in 100-year history of the BBC that it has faced such a raid anywhere in the world. Their only fault was that they made a documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots though they included voices from all sides. Will it not dent the international image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi?" he asked.

The Congress termed as "intimidation tactics" Income Tax survey operations at the BBC offices and alleged the action shows the Modi government was scared of criticism.

The I-T department on Tuesday conducted survey operations for over ten hours at the BBC's offices in Delhi, Mumbai and two other linked locations as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, officials said.