Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Norway appearance and the alleged lack of space for media questions from the press sparked a wave of reactions, including a Norwegian journalist’s viral intervention, the Indian foreign ministry’s response, and Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism.
Helle Lyng, a journalist who writes for the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen, shared a video on her X handle on Monday of PM Modi exiting the joint press statement venue with his Norway counterpart.
“Primeminister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to,” she said in the post, sharing the video in which a woman can be heard saying loudly, “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?”
She later also attended the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing on PM Modi’s Norway visit later, where she pressed MEA officials on the prime minister not taking questions.
“Why should we trust you,” she asked, adding, “Can you promise you will stop the human rights violation that goes on in your country?”
While the journalist sought a “straight answer”, MEA’s Sibi George gave a detailed response of several minutes about India’s history and Constitution, also saying, “We hear a lot of people asking ‘why this, why that’, but let me tell you this: We are one sixth of the total population of the world, but not one sixth of the problems of the world. We have a constitution which guarantees the fundamental rights of the people.”
“If anyone whose rights are violated, they have the right to go to court. We are proud to be a democracy,” Sibi George said.
Rahul Gandhi’s criticism, interview invite by Norway journo
Back in India, Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi took a swipe over what happened in Norway, saying “when there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear”.
“What happens to India’s image when the world sees a compromised PM panic and run from a few questions?” Gandhi said on X.
In parallel, the Norwegian journalist responded to a report claiming that she had asked Rahul Gandhi for a phone interview.
“I’m ready!,” she wrote on X while resharing a post carrying the report.
Gandhi had not yet responded to her request, as of 3:30 pm IST, May 19.
Prime Minister Modi is on a six-day, five-nation tour and landed in Norway’s Oslo on Monday to attend the third India-Nordic Summit and hold key bilateral engagements with Nordic leaders. He reached Oslo after visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands and Sweden and was slated to head to Italy on May 19.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also shared a picture of PM Modi with Netherlands PM Rob Jetten and wondered what the Indian PM is explaining to his Dutch counterpart. “What bogus gyaan is the self-styled but thoroughly exposed Vishwaguru giving to the Dutch PM who actually called him out?” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Squaring off against the Congress remarks, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya defended PM Modi by saying on Tuesday that the Norwegian prime minister also didn’t take any questions at the joint press briefing of the two leaders.
“But the lunatic Congress ecosystem led by Rahul Gandhi is crowing over a delinquent journalist’s incoherent rant,” said the BJP IT wing in charge. One wonders if, like the journalist in question, the Congress leadership is also on the take of those who do not want to see a strong and powerful India, he said on X.
Lyng responded to it by saying that the Norwegian PM did take questions at separate interactions.
Lyng’s first post on PM Modi not taking questions was also followed by a series of posts in one of which she clarified that she is “not a spy”.
“I never thought I would have to write this, but I am not a foreign spy of any sort, sent out by any foreign government. My work is journalism, primarily in Norway now,” she said.
In a separate post, Lyng said journalism is “sometimes confrontational”.
“We seek answers. If any interview subject, especially with power, do not answer what I asked, I will try to interrupt and get a more focused response. That is my job & duty. I want answers and not just talking points,” she said.
