Summary of this article
Narendra Modi did not take questions from the media after a joint press statement with Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo.
Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng publicly asked Modi why he would not “take some questions from the freest press of the world” as he exited the venue.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh criticised the PM over the incident, accusing him of avoiding media scrutiny.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not take questions from the media after issuing press statements alongside his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on Monday, prompting a Norwegian journalist to urge him to interact with the press publicly.
As Modi walked out of the room with Støre after the joint media statement, journalist Helle Lyng was heard asking, “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press of the world?”
“Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question. I was not expecting him to,” Lyng, who introduced herself as a commentator in the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen on X, wrote on the social media platform later.
Prime Minister Modi, who is on a six-day, five-nation tour, arrived in Oslo earlier in the day to attend the third India-Nordic Summit and hold key bilateral engagements with Nordic leaders.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a swipe at Modi over allegations that he did not take questions from journalists 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.
Later, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a picture of 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.
