PM Modi was asked why he doesn't hold press conferences. His answer

Prime Minister Narendra Modi he is "ready" to answer any questions asked to him in Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he doesn’t hold press conferences and seldom gives interviews because “today’s media is not the same.” He said “he works hard and lets the media decide whether it wants to feature him.”

“I have never refused interviews. In our country, there is a culture that suggests that you don’t have to do anything. You can voice your views to them (media) and it will be circulated. I don’t want to go down that path. I want to work hard….I can also cut ribbons at Vigyan Bhawan and get featured in the press but I don’t do that. Rather, I travel to a small district in Jharkhand and work on schemes. I have introduced a new work culture. If the media believes that the new culture is right, it may present it like that or otherwise it may not,” Modi told AajTak television channel in an interview.

He said he is answerable to the Parliament. “I am ready to answer any questions asked there.”

“Today’s media is not what it used to be. It’s not a separate entity, people understand that. Earlier, the media used to be faceless. People would read something and think of it as an analysis but today that is not the case.”

He noted that the media is not the only source of communication. “Today it has been democratised. The ultimate objective is to communicate with the citizens.”

Opposition's charges on media freedom

Modi’s statement comes as Opposition parties accuse Modi of avoiding press conferences, which they said undermines India's democracy.

Opposition parties allege an atmosphere of “dictatorship” in India under Modi’s tenure. They say that Modi stays away from press conferences and appears in interviews rarely to avoid “tough” questions. The media is “under pressure” under the Modi government, they say.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that some of Modi’s press interviews were “scripted” and questioned the media’s authenticity under the BJP government. "The media are under certain constraints. In their heart, they know what is happening. They come to me, saying we can't do much... hawa badal gayi hai (the situation has changed)," Gandhi had said in 2017.

India ranked 140 out of 180 countries on the global press freedom index in 2014. In 2024, India’s position slipped 19 ranks at 159.