Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Monday asked why he would not field questions from the Norwegian media.
The question was asked as Modi was leaving the hall after media statements were read out by him and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Garh Store. Whether he heard the question is unclear, but he did not stop and left the room.
“Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng asked loudly as Modi turned to leave the room, escorted by Store. Modi was already looking down as he turned to leave and Lyng began her brief question. He did not stop and left the room with a few short steps, head lowered.
The video was posted by Lyng herself with the caption: “Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to. Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th, competing with Palestine, Emirates & Cuba. It is our job to question the powers we cooperate with.”
Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi shared the clip on X and said: “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?”
This is the second time during his five-nation tour that the Prime Minister’s reluctance to answer questions has been flagged by the foreign media.
In the Netherlands on Saturday, a journalist with a Dutch newspaper asked Sibi George, secretary (West) of the external affairs ministry, why the two Prime Ministers were not available for questions this time.
“In the Netherlands, there is a tradition that after such a visit, both Prime Ministers are available for questions. I wonder what the reason is that that is not the case today,” the journalist asked.
George sidestepped the question. He pushed back on Dutch concerns about media freedom and minority rights, stating that these questions were asked because of a lack of understanding of India.
It is a norm in the democratic world for the two heads of government to respond to a couple of questions each from the media during such bilateral visits. However, this practice has been done away with since Modi assumed office. However, there have been occasions when the other side has insisted on allowing journalists a couple of questions each, the last example being Modi’s US visit in February last year, soon after Donald Trump started his second term.
Highest civilian honour
Modi was on Monday conferred with Norway’s highest civilian honour, the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, for his contribution to advancing the India-Norway relationship and his leadership.
In a special ceremony, King Harald V of Norway conferred upon Modi the “Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit”.
Modi expressed his deep gratitude to the King and to the people of Norway for the honour. He dedicated the award to the “historic friendship” between India and Norway, calling it a tribute to the enduring warmth, trust and affection shared between the people of the two countries.
The conferment stands as a symbol of the deep bonds of goodwill that exist between India and Norway, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.