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BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

theguardian.com

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Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#71
post #37

I Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter[1] and this was just some 3 grade local politician. So I guess this amount of corruption between politicians and police is available to all politicians in germany not just PMs which seems much more fair. [1] https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei...

Andy Grote was the penis, in case you were wondering.

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#72

Honestly, a lot of the documentary is a mixture of interviews and CCTV camera footage with a fairly even handed narrative on the top – it, by itself, isn't that shocking and certainly isn't presented in a particularly sensationalist way. I'm amazed by the reaction it has generated. Yes, there's some post-colonial history there and it doesn't look great that it's the BBC that has made it, as opposed to, say, a US or c…

Authoritarian leaders/movements always respond to criticism by attacking the people doing it.

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#73

Not sure why the offices have been raided, corruption in Indian offices are not new, just because they are the BBC does not make its staff immune. The show itself adds nothing new in real evidence that can be taken to court, however there is a serious risk it create communal disharmony. Muslims and Hindus have found peace since the event, Indians see it as stirring the pot just before the 2024 elections.

If Muslims and Hindus have found peace then this would not create disharmony...

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#74
post #37

I Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter[1] and this was just some 3 grade local politician. So I guess this amount of corruption between politicians and police is available to all politicians in germany not just PMs which seems much more fair. [1] https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei...

It wasn't a SWAT team but a regulary search and a court decided later the search was illegal. Let's see if an Indian court decides if this is illegal.

If you're concerned about Germany, it ranks #13 in World Press Freedom Index (it slipped mostly because of attacks against the press by left and right extremists during COVID) and India ranks #150 (out of 180).

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#75
post #55
post #24

Modi should have funded an Indian documentary on the financing of Rishi Sunak and his wife as a way of silencing criticism -- Tories would pull BBC in to line pretty quick then. Seems those with dirty hands are quick to point the finger.

I doubt it. A) Sunak can't just "pull the BBC into line" as it's independent of the government. B) The BBC regularly criticises the UK government and even the Royal family. If it could get a scoop on some new corruption it would air it as soon as it could. C) We also have people like Led By Donkeys here who air as much dirt as they can on the government. (We are not short of scandals right now, although few involve g…

a) That line of thinking was eviscerated with Johnson and Kussenberg.

b) The BBC is biased against Labor and SNP as a growing number of Britons are coming to realise. Clearly towing the line in favor of the Tory party.

c) Plenty of nations have such advocacy groups.

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#76

Is it just me, or are authoritarian regimes on the rise world-wide?

Yes, I think it's related to the waining political and economic power of the West and buoyed by Putin, Xi Jinping etc getting away with whatever they want

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#77

Not sure why the offices have been raided, corruption in Indian offices are not new, just because they are the BBC does not make its staff immune. The show itself adds nothing new in real evidence that can be taken to court, however there is a serious risk it create communal disharmony. Muslims and Hindus have found peace since the event, Indians see it as stirring the pot just before the 2024 elections.

I wonder what the Muslims in India think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Muslims_in_In...

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#78

Honestly, a lot of the documentary is a mixture of interviews and CCTV camera footage with a fairly even handed narrative on the top – it, by itself, isn't that shocking and certainly isn't presented in a particularly sensationalist way. I'm amazed by the reaction it has generated. Yes, there's some post-colonial history there and it doesn't look great that it's the BBC that has made it, as opposed to, say, a US or c…

“Some post-colonial history there” is quite an understatement.

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#79
post #71
post #37

I Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter[1] and this was just some 3 grade local politician. So I guess this amount of corruption between politicians and police is available to all politicians in germany not just PMs which seems much more fair. [1] https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei...

Andy Grote was the penis, in case you were wondering.

I don't think penis is the best translation, prick or weenie would be better.

Re: BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

#80

Is it just me, or are authoritarian regimes on the rise world-wide?

Yes, extreme ideologies (left and right wing) and authoritarian views are on the rise because of three factors playing out at the same time:

1. Globalisation showing its cracks and becoming increasingly clear to be the reason for the skyrocketing of inequality and the widening of the wealth gap between the rich and the poor

2. People waking up to the fact that the West and the East are equally bad with a constant stream of bad leaders who make bad decisions for their own riches and for the huge hypocrisy as well as the apparent propaganda to which we are all (West and East) are subjected by our own governments and mainstream media outlets

3. Internet and social media making 1. and 2. extremely visible to everyone in every corner of the world

As a result the world is becoming a lot more cynic on a much wider scale than ever before, people are becoming increasingly more selfish because they see that this is how the world operates as a whole without any shame and people are therefore increasingly more inclined to give their vote to people who "offer" radically different views to the status quo.

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