Vice President slams BBC's documentary on PM Modi

CHENNAI:  Criticising the recent documentary by BBC on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar on Tuesday asked if one could run down the Supreme Court and two decades of investigation in the name of expression.

Speaking at IIT-Madras after inaugurating the Centre for Innovation (CFI), Dhankar, referring to the documentary, urged young minds to be on guard against those who play politics. “Things are analysed for the high and mighty including the prime minister. For two decades, the issue was deliberated in judicial quarters and thoroughly investigated at all levels. The highest court of the largest democracies pronounced on all fronts in 2022 finally, and we have a narrative being set afloat by a documentary, some people say this is an expression.”

The new facility is located in the recently-constructed Sudha and Shankar Innovation Hub, which is dedicated to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) activities of students and researchers. CFI is pioneering a student-led ‘Tinker Lab’ involving about 10% of students from IIT-M, making it the largest activity on campus.

IIT-Madras director V Kamakoti said, “During the last 14 years, CFI has had a tremendous impact on both innovation and start-up culture at IIT-Madras. Nearly 6,000 students have benefitted at this centre and approximately 1,000 student projects have been completed. About 50 start-ups can trace their roots back to CFI. With the growing appetite in the student community for innovation and entrepreneurial activities, this centre needed major expansion to cater to current and future needs.”

Dhankar also advised members of parliament to participate in healthy discussions and refrain from disrupting House proceedings. “The taxpayers’ money would go wasted if the Parliament, meant to hold the executive accountable, is disrupted without transacting any business,” said Dhankar.