Norwegian reporter ‘s questioning PM raise eye brows in India’ s ruling political circles

Prime minister Narendra Modi was in Netherland, Norway the other day , meeting the Norway prime minister Jonas Gahr Store to elevate Indo Norway bilateral relations.

This was the first ever meeting after the gap of 43 years when in 1983 the then prime minister Indira Gandhi had visited there.

But there is quite a difference  between the then visit of Indira Gandhi , the then PM and the current visit of Prime minister Modi.

Then the Indian prime minister and her Norwegian counterpart had addressed the press conference and faced the questions of the press satisfying them to the core, but this time , there was no provision of media briefing after the joint statement of the Indian and Norwegian PMs and the media was specifically told not to ask any question,leaving the journalist crippled.

But one of the young reporters of the Norwegian media having a mere  six years experience took the courage to put a question on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi related to Media Freedom in India after going on 157 rank out of total 160 countries.

Norway is number one on the media freedom index list globally.

She has asked Prime minister Modi –  why don’t you take questions from the free press in the world ?  After the question prime minister Modiji as was decided earlier didn’t answered to her question and went away.

This issue caught the attention of world media and that of the India media with the news going viral and BBC and other media channels interviewing the Norwegian reporter Helle Lyng. The Norwegian reporter is quite forthcoming saying that though it is true there was no provision of press conference and questions forbidded after the two PMs meeting but being a journalist it is my bounden duty to question him to protect democracy, as democracy demands questioning and its the duty of the politicians to answer to journalists questions.

She catagorically said that in Netherland , the prime minister meets media very often and answers to the every question of mediamen not like in India. When asked when she knew that asking question to Indian and Norwegian PM have been forbidden then why did she did so. Vociferous Helle Lyng said in Democracy this is necessary for a journalist and I asked the question being a journalist which is her or his ( journalists )  bounden professional duty to pose questions to politicians said the Norwegian reporter.

Back home in India while a section of the media is vociferous against the prime minister for not answering to her question , another bunch of supporting media journalists have come in the open to Indignify the reputation of the vociferous Norwegian  reporter.

The matter has gone viral in social media with anti and pro news channels doing their best to score the browny points and  enhancing their TRP. Meanwhile a Dordarshan tweets says : Helle Lyngs role under scrutiny , Reporter or Social media activist ? Anti India propaganda in the name of journalism. Kindly recall the Mr. Sudhir  Choudhary gets the annual package of Rs. 15 crores .