BBC cannot hide ‘economic offences’ under garb of freedom of expression: BJP

The BJP said on Wednesday said that the BBC or any other organisation cannot hide their “economic offences” under the garb of freedom of expression.

The British broadcaster is under the Income-Tax department probe for alleged tax avoidance by underreporting income and these are serious offences, BJP’s information technology department head Amit Malviya said.

The BBC has to abide by Indian laws to operate in the country, he said.

The BJP reaction came following the British government’s strong defence of the BBC and its editorial freedom in Parliament after the Income Tax department’s survey operations on the media corporation’s New Delhi and Mumbai offices last week.