West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described as “very unfortunate” the Income Tax department’s survey on BBC India’s offices and alleged that it is political vendetta of the BJP-led central government.
Banerjee also alleged that the Centre is trying to “capture” the judiciary which, she said, only can save the country now.
She also alleged that the media is being controlled by the Narendra Modi government and there will be a time when the country will have no media.
The Income Tax department’s survey on the BBC came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, "India: The Modi Question", on the prime minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
“It is very unfortunate; it is political vendetta of the BJP government. BBC is the most reputed organisation.” Banerjee said at her chamber in the West Bengal assembly.
Asked whether the move against the British news organisation would affect the freedom of the press, the Trinamool Congress supremo replied in the affirmative.
“It will be affecting the freedom of the press. Not just that, there will be no media in the country. The media is already controlled by them (BJP). I am very sorry to say that the media cannot raise their voice,” she said.
If any media house raises its voice, its service will be stopped and this is their controlling power, Banerjee claimed.
“They (BJP) think: we are in power and can do whatever we feel like. But that cannot be done. I have to abide by the Constitution, go by the mandate of the people. But they don’t care about people’s mandate, their only mandate is dictatorship. (They are) more than Hitler or (former Romanian president) Nicolae Ceaușescu,” she said.
The tax department had begun the survey on Tuesday at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices along with at least two linked premises as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion against the British broadcaster in India. The operation is continued on Wednesday.
The TMC chief also claimed that the saffron party wants to capture the judiciary.
“Sometimes they speak against the judiciary also. They want to capture the judiciary. But we want the judiciary to be neutral. They (Judiciary) should not be afraid. Only the judiciary can save this country now,” she said.
The opposition parties recently attacked the government over the appointment of retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer as a governor by citing the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley's remarks against such appointments, and called the move a "great threat" to the independence of the judiciary.
Nazeer, who retired on January 4, has been part of several path-breaking verdicts, including those on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, instant 'triple talaq' and the one that declared 'right to privacy' a fundamental right.
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