'Your license to broadcast in India...': Rajeev Chandrasekhar warns foreign channels, BBC

BJP Kerala president and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday warned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other foreign media channels that their license to broadcast in India is a privilege, which is subject to the rules and laws of India. 

His warning came after the Indian government voiced a strong objection to the BBC's biased coverage of the Pahalgam terror attack. Chandrasekhar further said that these channels might lose the Indian audience/market if they start pushing their biases and prejudices. 

"All foreign channels including @BBCWorld must know that their license to broadcast in India is a privilege, and is subject to the rules and laws of India. If you start pushing ur prejudices and biases, odds are that you will loose ur access to the Indian audience/market," the BJP Kerala president said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 

But why is BBC in the crosshairs of the Indian government? In a recent news article titled "Pakistan suspends visas for Indian after deadly Kashmir attack," the British public service broadcaster called the Pahalgam massacre a "militant attack". 

In a formal letter to BBC India head Jackie Martin, the government said that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is going to monitor its reporting going ahead.

The MEA's External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division has "conveyed the country's strong sentiments to Jackie Martin (India Head, BBC) regarding their reporting on the terror attack."

"Pakistan has responded with tit-for-tat measures against India as tensions soared following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists," BBC's article published last week read. 

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence is scheduled to meet at 3pm today. While the agenda for the meeting does not include the Pahalgam attack, a few committee members indicated they will raise the issue during the discussions, India Today reported.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India's "zero tolerance" policy on terrorism during a conversation with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The two discussed the "cross-border" links to the Pahalgam attack. 

The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed the lives of 26 people, including a local ponywallah and a Nepali citizen.