Kerala CM slams Centre over I-T raids at BBC offices: ‘Freedom of expression is being curtailed’

For three days, tax officials raided the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion by the British broadcaster in India. The raids came after BBC recently released a two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which the government banned.

The Kerala chief minister also accused the BJP-ruled Centre of destroying the federal structure of the country. “BJP is consciously trying to destroy the country’s federal structure. Repeatedly, laws are being enacted by Parliament on subjects in the State List in the Constitution, be it law and order, agriculture, cooperation, power or so on. Bills that infringe upon the rights of the states are being enacted into laws even without seeking the opinion of state governments,” he said.

“Even while entering into international agreements that affect the states, the Union government does not inform state governments, let alone seeking their consent. Slogans such as ‘One Nation One Tax’, ‘One Nation One Uniform’, ‘One Nation One Election’ and ‘One Nation One Language’ are all attacks on our federal structure. Such attacks are most acute in the states that are ruled by governments that are opposed to the BJP-RSS combined ruling the Union. We are seeing it in West Bengal, as well as in Kerala,” said Vijayan.

Claiming that the central government is misusing the office of the Governor, Vijayan said, “Such attacks are being carried on even by politically misusing the office of the Governor. Widespread efforts are on to take control of the higher education sector through the Governors in their capacity as Chancellors. Assent to legislation enacted by the state legislatures is being withheld. Such affronts on the supremacy of state legislatures weaken not just our federal structure, but even our democracy.”

Vijayan, meanwhile, also slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over alleged rampant corruption in the recruitment of teachers in state-run and -aided schools.

“Yet today, we have a situation in which even in Bengal communal campaigns are being run by those in power at both the Union and the state. There is rampant corruption in panchayats and in recruitment. Money meant for the upliftment of the people end up in the pockets of TMC henchmen. There is a scary rise in the instances of violence against women. Over the last twelve years, hundreds of our cadre have been killed and displaced. Many of them were agricultural workers. I pay my respects to their memories.”

The Kerala chief minister continued, “No amount of communal polarisation can cover up what is really happening around us. Now, we are seeing capitalists who are the beneficiaries of the current ruling dispensation at the Centre being exposed internationally. We are also seeing those in high offices in our country being exposed for their crimes against humanity. This is the time for us to come together and further expose them among the people. The farmers’ struggle is a lesson to us that we need to come together and fight relentlessly. The reality is wherever there is a strong alternative to the BJP, the people have come forward to support them. Even political parties that were earlier aligned with the BJP are realising its danger and keeping away from them now.”