Opposition leaders have targeted the Center for removing the controversial

on Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Twitter and YouTube.

Some opposition leaders even tweeted alternate links, where the first part of the two-part series can also be viewed.

On the removal of BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question" from Twitter and YouTube, Congress leader Gaurav Vallabh told reporters: "The Government of India has a scheme called 'Block in India', like 'Make in India' , 'Startup India'. The government doesn't want tough questions to be asked. If the BBC's headquarters were in Delhi, the ED (Enforcement Directorate) would be at their doorstep by now."

Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O'Brien and Mahua Moitra both tweeted links to the video of the documentary.

Calling it "censorship", O'Brien said that Twitter had removed his earlier post, which had been viewed "millions of times".

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra said the government is "insecure".

Mahua Moitra tweeted, "It is a shame that the emperors and courtiers of the world's largest democracy are so insecure."

Another tweet read, "Sorry, didn't choose to represent the world's largest democracy to accept censorship... Here's the link. Give it a go while you can see it."

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, "In the era of VPNs, how effective are these restrictions under emergency sections cited by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ban BBC documentary. The more they scoff at it, write protest letters, The more people will be eager to watch." 

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a tweet, "Some people in India have still not recovered from the colonial hangover."

They consider BBC above the Supreme Court of India and lower the country's dignity and image to any extent to please their moral masters." Rijiju tweeted, "Anyway these pieces of pieces. There is no better hope from the gang members whose only aim is to weaken the might of India.

According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has asked Twitter and YouTube to block the first episode of the BBC docu series.

Social media platforms have also followed these instructions.

Sources said senior officials of several ministries, including information and broadcasting, examined the documentary and found it to be an attempt to attack the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court, sowing seeds of division among various Indian communities.

Opposition parties like the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) criticized the Modi government for 'censorship', while a group of 302 former judges, ex-bureaucrats and veterans criticized the BBC documentary "Against our leader, an Indian and a patriot". Criticized by terming it as a motivated and biased charge sheet.

Former bureaucrats and others issued a statement claiming that the documentary was an old way of pre-independence British imperialism in India to rekindle Hindu-Muslim tensions by setting itself up as both judge and jury. Which is a form of British policy of 'divide and rule'.

Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the British Parliament, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from the BBC documentary series, saying he does not agree with the portrayal of his Indian counterpart.

Sunak made this comment on the question raised by Pakistani-origin MP Imran Hussain on the controversial documentary in the British Parliament.

The BBC has produced a two-part series titled 'India: The Modi Question'.

The series is about the 2002 riots in Gujarat, when PM Modi was the chief minister of the state.