A question by a journalist in New Zealand asking why Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not hold a press conference led to the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday (July 11) referring to the PM as a “quintessential” Indian politician, preferring direct contact with the electorate and to his success in electoral politics. The development took place during PM Modi’s ongoing visit to New Zealand.
‘Déjà vu’ remark
Responding to the question, MEA secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon referred to the earlier incident in Norway involving a local journalist and quipped, saying that he got a “deja vu” of the incident.
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Tandon then went on to elaborate on PM Modi’s success as a politician and provided “context” to the subject, stating that Indian politicians prefer direct contact with the electorate.
“So you know, your question has that quality of déjà vu, because see, it’s not appropriate for me as a civil servant to question Mr Modi’s political method, he’s a very successful politician. But let me give you some context. Prime Minister Modi is a quintessential Indian politician. By and large, Indian politicians favour direct contact with their electorate,” said Tandon as quoted by YEARS.
‘Direct contact’ with voters
Elaborating further, the diplomat said that the predominantly rural Indian electorate prefers direct contact instead of being communicated through intermediaries, adding that PM Modi has perfected the art in this regard.
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“And you must remember that the Indian electorate are predominantly rural folk. They want direct contact. They don’t like being spoken down to, and they don’t like being spoken to through intermediaries. And Mr Modi has perfected the art of direct contact with his electorate, and he seems to be doing a rather good job of it, since you know, he’s been elected now, he’s in his third term, he’s one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers in our country,” he added.
Norway episode recalled
Earlier, a Norwegian newspaper commentator, Helle Lyng, had claimed in a post on X that PM Modi did not take her question during a media briefing. In her post, she also referred to the rankings of India and Norway in the World Press Freedom Index.
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Following the incident, India on May 19 reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of human rights while underscoring its faith in democratic values and the Constitution. The response came after the Norwegian newspaper commentator disrupted Prime Minister Modi’s press statement alongside his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Støre.
India’s response
Responding to the controversy, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George reiterated India’s position and reminded Western countries that despite accounting for nearly one-sixth of the world’s population, the country does not contribute to one-sixth of the world’s problems.
“Despite having one-sixth of the world’s population, India does not contribute to one-sixth of the world’s problems,” George had said while responding to the issue.
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