NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday firmly told visiting his British counterpart James Cleverly that all entities working in India must fully comply with the law of the land, after the latter brought up the recent tax survey on BBC offices, during their bilateral meeting here.
“He was firmly told that all entities operating in India must comply fully with relevant laws and regulations,’’ said sources. Cleverly is here for the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meet. The income tax department had searched BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai over allegations of non-compliance of tax norms. The survey found discrepancies in transfer pricing documentation, the tax department later claimed. The Opposition, however, had alleged that the action was in retaliation to a docuseries aired by BBC on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
“The conversations I had with him are best to keep with him. I did raise it,” Cleverly told Reuters. “One of the advantages of having such a strong and professional relationship with Dr Jaishankar is I am able to bring up, and indeed he brings up with me, some of these sensitive issues. I did raise it with him,” he said.