Caller abuses PM Modi’s mother on BBC show, sparks outrage

An audio clip from BBC Asia Network’s show ‘Big Debate’ has gone viral on social media and has sparked outrage as a caller when asked a question by the anchor used derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother.

The clip is from an episode ‘Do you feel proud seeing the turban being referred to as a crown in Eastenders?’ hosted by anchor Priya Rai on BBC Sounds, which was aired on Monday,

In the three-hour-long show, Rai took several calls and one of them was from one man Simon, who in Punjabi abused the Prime Minister’s mother. The remarks allegedly came when the discussion digressed towards the farm laws stir going in India for the past three months at the borders of the national capital of Delhi. The programme, however, has been edited and the part has been removed so what led to the remark could not be verified.

In the edited programme, at 1 hour 32 minutes, the anchor issued an apology for the abuses hurled by the caller on the BBC show. “We would like to apologise for the language used by a guest earlier. It’s a live show and we discuss controversial issues but there was no reason for the type of language that was used and I’d like to say sorry again for any offence that was caused,” Rai said.

The issue was raised on a Twitter handle by the name of “British Indians Voice.” They posted the short clipping and in the tweet explained what the Punjabi offensive slur meant. They also demanded that Ofcom, UK’s telecom regulatory body, review the broadcaster’s licence.

Appalled by the remarks, the tweeple have been sharing the clipping with hashtags including #BanBBC, #boycottBBC.