Narendra Modi’s India — the Mother of Democracy according to the ruling regime — is markedly intolerant of criticism, which is integral to a democratic system of governance. The British Broadcasting Corporation has found itself in the line of fire weeks after it screened a documentary that appeared to be critical of Mr Modi’s role during the carnage in Gujarat. The unsurprising knock — of the taxman — has followed. On Tuesday and Wednesday, income tax officials conducted surveys at BBC premises in New Delhi and Mumbai to investigate alleged tax evasions on the part of the British broadcaster. Mr Modi’s government cannot be faulted for being selective in its pursuit of dissenters. Be it NDTV — in its independent avatar — and, now, the BBC, an institution of international reputation, a media with a spine and a voice is, evidently, an inconvenience for the powers that be. As India continues to slide on credible registers of press freedom, Mr Modi’s government will find it increasingly difficult to remove the stain of intolerance. The question must be asked whether the government wants to rid itself of this blemish. After all, repeated incursions on democratic rights have not dented its public appeal.

Trampling the domestic media may not cause the government to suffer immediate challenges. But having targeted the BBC, Indian diplomacy should prepare itself for some turbulence. Already, the United States of America has sent out a terse reminder of the importance of free speech as well as religious freedom in democracies, including India. It remains to be seen whether the episode leaves a mark on New Delhi’s ties with London. India’s gargantuan market and its leverage with Russia, New Delhi appears to be confident, would serve as adequate insurance against deleterious consequences from a critical West. But international realities are slippery and India would do well to remember that its existing robust networks with the West are the result of decades of hard work and are, more importantly, mutually beneficial. What is of particular interest — concern — is this government’s willingness to create the myth of a Western conspiracy against India. Is this a manifestation of the regime’s ideological antagonism towards such principles as freedom and free speech that are believed to be central to the template of Western liberal democracy?