UK media notes optics, Johnson’s JCB connect as his bulldozer visuals draw flak

As UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson perched on a bulldozer during his visit to a JCB factory in Gujarat, the visuals came in for criticism on Twitter, and the British media took note of the optics – amid outrage over demolitions ostensibly targeting Muslims in India.

A new plant of the UK-based Joseph Cyril Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) – which also manufactures bulldozers among other heavy equipment – was inaugurated by Johnson on the first day of his India tour on Thursday. Hours later, Amnesty International India said the move was “not only ignorant but his silence on the incident is deafening”. It said the UK government must not be a “mute bystander” as Indian authorities “clamp down on human rights” in the country.

Johnson and his spokesperson declined to directly comment on the recent demolition drive in Jahangipuri which came days after communal violence following a Hanuman Jayanti procession.

In an article headlined, “‘Tone-deaf’ Boris Johnson visits JCB factory amid outcry in India over demolitions using company’s bulldozers”, the Independent reported how the visit had drawn criticism from several Indians. It noted that “the demolition drive by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is under the control of the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi, carried on for some time on Wednesday morning despite a stay order issued by the country’s top court”. It said “officials stopped short of damaging a temple that was in the same lane as other structures which were said to be encroaching”.

The Independent also asked Johnson’s official spokesperson if it was an embarrassment for the prime minister that JCB should find itself involved in a court case on the day he visited its factory in Gujarat. “It is a matter for the Indian authorities how any equipment is used,” he was quoted as saying.

The spokesperson denied that Johnson had visited the JCB plant because the firm’s boss Lord Bamford is a major Tory donor, according to the paper. “No…He chose to go to the JCB factory because it is a very good illustration of a UK business working with India and the Indian government to benefit both the UK and India.”

The Guardian report, headlined "Outcry in India as Boris Johnson visits JCB plant amid demolitions row", mentioned that the “prime minister has repeatedly visited JCB factories, including during the 2019 general election campaign” when he drove a digger through a wall of polystyrene bricks to demonstrate his determination to “get Brexit done”.

In January 2019, when he was a backbencher, he received a £10,000 donation from the firm three days before giving a speech at its headquarters praising JCB’s business acumen, it reported.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, carried a report headlined “JCB demolition row threatens to bulldoze first day of Boris Johnson’s India trip”. It noted that the “destruction” in Jahangipuri was halted “only after India’s highest court ruled they were unconstitutional. However, demolition still continued, including to an entrance gate of a mosque.”

“The drive happened four days after a Hindu religious procession, armed with guns and swords, allegedly tried to storm a local mosque, sparking violence and injuring nine people. The authorities in Delhi said they had demolished the Muslim properties in Jahangirpuri because they were illegal constructions. However, more than 730 other unauthorised settlements within India’s capital were left untouched.”

The outlet also noted that JCB is “owned by Lord Bamford, who is close with the Prime Minister and backed his Conservative leadership bid in 2019. Through his business interests, he has also donated at least £10 million in cash and gifts to the Conservatives since 2001”.

While the British media took note of the controversy the prime minister was embroiled in, Times Now anchors continued the streak of crass humour on the demolitions.

In a post replete with emojis, Times Now Navbharat anchor Sushant Sinha tweeted, “The British prime minister came to India, and sat on a bulldozer when he went to Gujarat. Hope he doesn't take the bulldozer to Jahangirpuri.”

After all, Sinha was just following in the footsteps of his group editor Navika Kumar, who had words of wisdom on the demand for bulldozers on Wednesday.