An Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member has demanded an immediate ban on BBC Hindi and BBC India, calling it a "Jihadi Toolkit".
Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a Delhi BJP spokesperson, took to Twitter to pour out his angst against the BBC's coverage of the coronavirus in India. He was reacting to a post that demanded to know why BBC Hindi was promoting news and pushing regularly old stories about adverse effects of the COVID vaccine and hesitancy among people to taking it.
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) March 2, 2021
"I will write a letter to the federal information and broadcasting minister and seek ban on BBC Hindi and BBC India for their false propaganda. This is an agenda-based portal", Bagga told Sputnik.
Bagga has termed the BBC a "Jihadi" toolkit. The word toolkit, implying a set of adaptable guidelines to get something done, has come in vogue after Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg released a "toolkit" for the ongoing farmer protests in India.
The BJP spokesman stressed that this is not the first time the BBC promotes fake news. "The story BBC promoted today is totally fake on the COVID vaccine hesitancy. They are just trying to create a confusion in people so that they should not go to take vaccine. This is not the first time that BBC is doing fake news. In the past also there were many instances of such bogus stories".
"What is the agenda of promoting a story they did in January, why is BBC paying money to promote stories done two months ago which were fake anyway? Why are they so interested in highlighting the hesitancy among people about vaccine which they published two months ago?"
Bagga's demand for a ban has garnered support on Twitter, with many more joining him in his call.
— Modi Bharosa (@ModiBharosa) March 2, 2021
— Vatsan (@vatsan_ksvats55) March 2, 2021
— Himanshu P Saraswat हिमांशु प्रकाश सारस्वत (@hpsaraswat) March 2, 2021
