New Delhi: The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary James Cleverly raised the issue of BBC tax searches with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Wednesday.
James Cleverly, who is in India to attend a crucial meeting of the G20 foreign ministers on March 1 and 2 held bilateral meeting with EAM Jaishankar today. In response, the EAM firmly told Cleverly that all entities operating in India must comply fully with relevant laws and regulations.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said, “He was firmly told that all entities operating in India must comply fully with relevant laws and regulations.”
After the meeting, EAM Jaishankar tweeted, “Began the morning with a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly of the UK. Reviewed the progress in our relationship since our last discussion. Noted in particular the commencement of the Young Professional Scheme.”
Last month, the income-tax department had conducted marathon survey operations at the offices of the BBC in the national capital and Mumbai. The IT raids on the British broadcaster came following the release of two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The documentary on Indian PM created a controversy and there were calls to ban the BBC in India. Sources said that I-T department officials probably probing tax details of the UK’s national broadcaster.
“The income tax authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” the BBC had tweeted
The Indian government had issued directions to block Twitter posts and YouTube videos sharing links to the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, the UK government publicly defended the broadcaster, with a representative repeatedly stating in the UK Parliament that it has brought these issues up with New Delhi.
“We stand up for the BBC. We fund the BBC. We think the BBC World Service is vitally important. We want the BBC to have that editorial freedom,” at a House of Commons debate on Tuesday headed “Raid of BBC Offices in India,” parliamentary under-secretary for foreign, commonwealth, and development affairs David Rutley stated.
