"Why doesn't he take freewheeling interview?": Jairam Ramesh criticises PM Modi's media interaction

New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday expressed concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reluctance to engage in free-wheeling press conferences, questioning his transparency and accountability.
He pointed out that despite the importance of media in democracy, PM Modi has not held an unscripted press meet in 11 years, saying they are heavily scripted and lack spontaneity.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress MP said, "The only issue is why for 11 years Prime Minister Modi has not held a free-wheeling press conference where he has taken questions from the media. He had a large number of interviews during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but the producer, director, music director, scriptwriter, main actor and cameraman were all PM Narendra Modi."
He also accused PM Modi of not answering questions from the opposition in Parliament and not attending all-party meetings. Ramesh highlighted that PM Modi's approach differs significantly from that of his predecessors, who would often hold spontaneous press meets and patiently answer tough questions.
He said, "This is a fundamental tenet of democracy. The Prime Minister or President talks to the media and takes questions from the media. This Prime Minister does not answer questions from the opposition, give answers in Parliament, or attend all party meetings."
The Congress MP questioned Prime Minister Modi over United States President Donald Trump's claims on brokering a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.
Ramesh stated, "President Trump is making claims after claims, 12 claims in 20 days. The Prime Minister is quiet. The Chief of Defence Staff has made important revelations in Singapore, but the Prime Minister hasn't said anything. Where is the accountability? If he believes that the media is an important instrument of our democracy, then why doesn't he take a freewheeling interview?... Have a freewheeling interview. You have been there for 11 years. There is no country in the world where a Prime Minister or President does not face the media. Each and every predecessor of PM Modi has had media interactions... Take spontaneous questions from the media. Let the media ask questions fearlessly and you answer... That is when accountability will be seen."
He went on to say, "Prime Minister ignores Parliament. Whenever we (opposition) ask questions, he says Jawaharlal Nehru is responsible. Any achievement - Narendra Modi. Any question we ask - Jawaharlal Nehru... He doesn't respond in Parliament; he gives election speeches. He speaks once a year in Parliament, during the motion of thanks. His target is Mr. Nehru, Congress and not the questions of today, not questions on economy, foreign policy, neighbourhood policy... We want a special session of Parliament... There was no announcement for it. Monsoon session will start; will they allow discussion on security challenges? Pahalgam attack terrorists have still not been brought to justice..."
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh raised doubts on the "integrity" of the electoral process following Rahul Gandhi's recent statement on the Maharashtra elections.
Ramesh said, "The Congress party in particular Rahul Gandhi has been raising questions on the way the election process has been conducted, he's been raising questions on the fairness of the electoral rule. He made a very simple demand to make these electoral rolls available for various elections in a machine-readable digital format. What's political about that demand? Our demands are very straightforward. There is a serious doubt about the integrity of the electoral process, not just on the EVM but also on the process from the electoral roll onwards.Why is JP Nadda responding on behalf of the Election Commission? Why is the communication of the Election Commission through JP Nadda? Be independent, uphold the Constitution, be transparent and don't speak through JP Nadda."
This came after Congress and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra assembly election held in November 2024 was "rigged" and claimed the same could happen in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
In a post on X, Gandhi shared his article published in a newspaper, explaining the "rigging" in the Maharashtra assembly polls. "Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step," Gandhi said on X.
The former Congress President explained a five-point process. He said that step one includes rigging the panel that appoints the Election Commission, followed by adding fake voters to the electoral roll. He further claimed that the next steps include inflating the voter turnout, targeting the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win and hiding the evidence. (ANI)