Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on his visit to the United States was questioned about the weak human rights condition of India. Media repeatedly hit the Indian PM hard on this topic. The most striking fact about PM Modi is that all through his service as Prime Minister, he has never appeared in front of media for a press conference. It was the first time he did it and now it was the US media which questioned him on India.
US Media questions…
A popular newspaper of the US asked PM about alleged persecution of Muslims, human rights violations and democracy in India. Answering the question, Mr. Modi said, “Mujhe ashcharya ho raha hain ki log kehte hain…log kehte hain nahi, Bharat democracy hain…aur Bharat aur America, dono ke DNA mein loktantra hain.” This translates to “I am surprised that people say…it’s not that people say, India is a democracy…and both India and America have democracy in their DNA.”
Talking about human rights and free speech, Modi said, “Bharat ke loktantrik mulyo mein koi bhed bhav nahi hain, na dharm ke aadhar par, na jaati ke aadhar par, na umar ke aadhar par…” This translates to “there is no discrimination in India’s democratic values, neither on the basis of religion, nor on the basis of caste, nor on the basis of age…”
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PM Modi Controls Media: US Newspaper
Another prominent newspaper of USA alleged the Indian Prime Minister of controlling media. They even highlighted that PM Modi does not appear in any king of unplanned addressal, though he regularly addresses Indians via his radio show ‘Man Ki Baat” on mothly basis. The newspaper said, “From the start of his time in office, Mr. Modi and his staff have been fastidious about controlling his message, and trying to control the media, in general. Though he loves speeches at public events, and has leaned into his monthly radio show as a way to deliver messages to the nation, any exposure to unscripted events had been a rarity before the White House event, and probably will be again afterward.”