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The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will participate in a joint press conference on Thursday, according to the White House. An official from the White House claimed it to be a “big deal” because Modi is well-known for not answering questions from the Indian media.Â
In his 9 years in office, the Indian PM has not had even one news conference in India. He appeared at one news conference in 2019 but declined to answer any questions.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House on national security, stated that the White House is aware of how important the press conference is. He said that the White House is glad that PM Narendra Modi is taking part in a news conference at the end of the tour.
A journalist from the United States and one from India will ask one question each at the press conference. According to reports, the Indian government had pressed for the issuing of joint statements instead.
This compromise was finally reached at the end of Modi’s tour. The elected officials would hold a “one-and-one,” calling on a single journalist from each side instead of the customary “two-and-two,” in which both of them would answer two journalists from their media corps, according to local news.
When reporters are brought in before or after the meetings, the White House often permits questions from the media to be directed at the leaders during a foreign visit. While two presidents visited India during the same period, Modi has made at least five trips to the US. Press inquiries usually began following the two high-level talks between Indian PM Modi and the US president.
Earlier Joint Press Conferences between India and US:
At the joint press conference held in January 2015 when former US President Barack Obama was invited to attend the Republic Day parade as the chief guest, there was one question from the Indian media and one from the US media each.
The news agency Associated Press questioned Modi over the climate change deal between China and the US and if the Paris Climate Conference will result in any significant outcomes without India’s commitment to reductions. The American journalist questioned Obama on the conditions in Yemen and Ukraine. The journalist from ABP News India limited his inquiries to “details” and questions regarding the “friendship” between the two leaders.
At the press conference addressed by Modi along with David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in November 2015, Modi was asked many questions by the media. There were numerous inquiries concerning increasing intolerance in India as well as his track record as the CM of Gujarat.
In any case, Modi had declined to respond to inquiries regarding increasing democratic backsliding during an arranged one-hour interview with The Wall Street Journal before his US visit.
Because every moment of a foreign leader’s visit is meticulously planned and coordinated in advance, the new norm is that no questions are asked of Modi at any public event, even with a fellow democratic leader. When other Indian Prime Ministers visited other countries, this was not the norm.
Legislators boycott Modi’s speech:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman, among other Democratic members of the US Congress, have declared they will not attend Thursday’s joint session by Modi and the US Congress. They made their declarations in response to Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, two Muslim Congresswomen, declaring that they would boycott Modi’s speech.
One of the most distinguished invitations and honours the US Congress can bestow is a joint address. The US should not do so for those who have extremely concerning human rights records, especially for those who are involved in violations of the rights of religious minorities and caste-oppressed groups as per our own State Department, Ocasio-Cortez said. She urged her fellow legislators who support “pluralism, tolerance, and freedom of speech” to support her boycott.
75 Democratic legislators have asked Joe Biden to discuss “areas of concern” regarding democratic backsliding with the Indian PM during his foreign visit.
