In a sharp play on words, the Congress took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (March 16), accusing him of “hypo(d)crisy” for avoiding press conferences while opting for an interview with a US-based podcaster Lex Fridman.
During a three-hour conversation with popular podcaster, Modi spoke extensively on foreign affairs, his life journey, and his ideological influences. He praised the RSS for instilling patriotism in him, acknowledged Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and positioned himself as a peacemaker, claiming he had encouraged both Russian and Ukrainian leaders to negotiate.
Reacting to the interview, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised Modi for his remarks on democracy and criticism. Congress general secretary hit out at PM Modi for saying “criticism is the soul of democracy” and accused him of “demolishing” institutions that were to hold his government accountable.
“He who is afraid of facing the media in a press conference has found comfort in a foreign podcaster anchored in the rightwing ecosystem…And he has the gall to say that ‘criticism is the soul of democracy’ when he has systematically gutted every institution that is to hold his government accountable and gone after critics with a vengeance that no one in recent history has matched!” Ramesh wrote on X.
He who is afraid of facing the media in a press conference has found comfort in a foreign podcaster anchored in the rightwing ecosystem. And he has the gall to say that “criticism is the soul of democracy” when he has systematically gutted every institution that is to hold his…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 16, 2025
“There is no limit to Hypo(d)crisy,” Ramesh quipped, reinforcing the Congress’s attack on Modi’s media engagement strategy.