Sibi George criticised sections of the Norwegian media for raising concerns over press freedom in India during a press interaction.
George said many people misunderstand India by relying on reports from “ignorant NGOs” and highlighted the country’s vast media landscape with hundreds of TV channels and daily news coverage.
Defending India’s democratic record, he pointed to constitutional guarantees, women’s voting rights since 1947 and citizens’ ability to change governments through elections.
MEA Hits Back at Norwegian Press Over Questions on Press Freedom in India
MEA secretary Sibi George says India is misunderstood through reports by “ignorant NGOs”, cites scale of media and constitutional rights.
Summary
On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs criticised the Norwegian press for raising concerns about press freedom, claiming that reports from "ignorant NGOs" have caused many people to misinterpret India.
MEA secretary (West) Sibi George highlighted the wide reach of India's media ecosystem during a heated debate with a Norwegian journalist during a press conference.
"You know how many stories are up here. We have how many breaking news stories coming every day in the evening. At least 200 TV channels in Delhi alone, in English language, in Hindi language and multiple languages. People have no understanding of the scale of India," George said.
"People have no understanding. They read, you know, one or two news reports published by some godforsaken, ignorant NGOs and then come and ask questions," he added.
"We have a Constitution which guarantees the rights of the people, Fundamental Rights of the people. We have, you know, we have equal rights for the women of our country, which is very important," he said.
"In 1947, we gave the freedom to vote for our women. We together, we won the freedom together and they won itself. Many countries I know, the voting right for women came after several decades after India gave that freedom. You know, this, because we believe in equality, we believe in human rights. And what is the best example of human rights? The right to change government, the right to vote. And that is what is happening in India. We are so proud of that," he added.
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