CANBERRA (London Post)-The BBC documentary which explored Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots was screened at the Parliament House in Canberra, on May 24, 2023.
Australian Lawmakers, Activists express their concerns about Indian Politicians after watching the BBC Documentary on Modi.
‘In India, Telling the Truth Can Be a Crime’
After the screening of the BBC documentary in Canberra, Australian Greens senator Jordan Steele-John raised concerns over PM Albanese failing to speak with PM Modi on the deteriorating human rights situation in India.
It is interesting to note the timing of the screening of this documentary in Australia.
On the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart in Sydney, a BBC documentary on his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots was screened at the Parliament House in Canberra.
This documentary exposes the real extremist face of Prime Minister Naredra Modi who had strong affiliations with militant wing of RSS and remained an active and provocative member of this militia.
He played influential role at forefront in spreading anarchy and chaos in Gujrat after demolition of Babari Mosque and deliberately fueled the fire of Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujrat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proved to be a blatant advocate of Hindutva, an ideology which means that India is a state only for pure Hindus and no other minority has any kind of right to live in India. This ideology is an hard line approach towards internal affairs of a state while India proclaimed itself the secular and democratic state. Hindutva advocates hate and violence against Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains and other minorities living in India.
The screening was organized by a group of lawmakers and human rights activists.
After the 40-minute documentary was screened, a panel discussion was held, which included Australian Greens senator Jordan Steele-John, David Shoebridge, Aakashi Bhatt, daughter of former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, and Dr Kalpana Wilson of South Asian Solidarity Group, among others. “Speaking the truth can be a crime in India.
Green Party Senator David Shoebridge said, ‘The film is a small taste of what the Indian people have gone through with their government.’
“I have spoken to so many [people] in the [Indo-Australian] diaspora and many say it is very difficult to speak up. They say I will be at risk when I do so, so they expect the (Australian) Prime Minister and other political leaders to do the work for them. there is,” he said. “Twenty years ago, Australia went through a process of accepting China unconditionally and rejecting human rights, and I hope we have learned that lesson,” he added.
“What you are seeing is just scratching the surface. Gujarat has been on fire for months and Muslims have been brutally attacked,” said Aakashi Bhatt. “Hindutva poses a threat to democracy in the region and needs to be addressed,” said Mohan Dutta of Massey University.
Jordan Steeljohn expressed concern that the Australian Prime Minister had not spoken to Modi about the deteriorating human rights situation in India, saying: “Over the past few days, I have looked back on the interaction between the (Australian) Prime Minister and the people of India. What I felt. The Prime Minister watched,” said Prime Minister Modi, disappointed. Since then, there has been further outrage at our Prime Minister’s failure to raise so clearly articulated human rights concerns to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. ”
“Many speak of him and Wong as critical friends, as leaders of a nation that deeply values its relationship with India and is willing to be critical and open about the human rights situation in India.”
Human rights have been violated significantly in the current regime of Narendra Modi. In elections he conducted such speeches which were filled with anger and hates against Muslims because he had played the card of Hindu Religion to get the vote from the majority. During the Modi Government ,India imposed sanctions on Muslims in Kashmir and violated international law by imposing the Article 370 in Kashmir which seems merely ambitions of India to annex the disputed territory to its land. The organization of G20 summit in Indian held Kashmir reflects another unethical move of Narendra Modi and shows his hidden motives to make the India not a secular but a religiously extremist state.
