Press Conference Or Mann Ki Baat? Twitter Reacts To PM Modi Attending Amit Shah’s Press Conference
“Calling what Modi and Amit Shah did right now a press conference is like calling Arnab Goswami a journalist.”
Narendra Modi on Friday, May 17 attended a historic media event. For the first time in his five-year tenure as Prime Minister, Modi appeared for a scheduled press conference, in front of reporters.
Everyone waited with bated breath for Modi to take impromptu questions from the press and speak frankly. Modi, however, refused to answer any questions from reporters and diverted all of them to BJP party president Amit Shah. His reasoning was that the press conference was being addressed by Shah, and in the Bharatiya Janata Party system, discipline had to be followed.
Many on Twitter called the press conference farcical and pointed out that it was nothing more than another photo-op for the PM:
Calling what Modi & Amit shah did right now a press conference is like calling Arnab Goswami a journalist.
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) May 17, 2019
This is extremely disappointing. Not one question about how he likes to eat his mangoes.
— Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) May 17, 2019
BJP President Amit Shah says the party and its workers are happy and surprised (anand aur ascharya) to have PM Modi with them in the press room. He said to Modi – welcome to the press room of the BJP!https://t.co/p9BVkPD5Yd #LokSabhaElections2019
— Nikhil Kanekal (@nkanekal) May 17, 2019
As a friend pointed out that if Modi was to take questions today then Anil Baluni would have rehearsed with journalists for three days prior! https://t.co/aJDLYdXqzI
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) May 17, 2019
Since the supreme leader can't answer press questions, he is watching his chief strategist answer it for him. https://t.co/IwCzdAVDRx
— Srinivas Kodali (@digitaldutta) May 17, 2019
Modi is basically attending Amit Shah's press conference?
— Manisha Pande (@MnshaP) May 17, 2019
Also Read: #EntireCloudCover: Modi’s Radar Cloud Cover Remark Leaves Social Media in Splits
Many pointed out what counts as a press conference, adding that the BJP event was little more of a press briefing:
Pressconference was a bit of a misnomer ☺️ https://t.co/nM6T3WZM5m
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) May 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/someshjha7/status/1129352618873163776
Sham of a press conference. PM Modi makes it clear he won't take questions, amit shah will answer on his behalf. Journalists comply.
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) May 17, 2019
Disappointed with those journalists who did not insist on asking questions to modi and kept asking the same cliched questions to amit shah.
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) May 17, 2019
Some found parallels between the historic event and Modi’s “Mann ki Baat”.
Modiji got confused between press conference and mann ki baat.
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 17, 2019
It was PM Modi's 'Man ki baat' live edition
— sohit mishra (@sohitmishra99) May 17, 2019
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi pointed out that with Modi saying he wouldn’t forgive Pragya Singh Thakur’s ‘deshbhakt’ remark for Nathuram Godse, and Shah saying he did not regret fielding her, for it signified the BJP’s stance against ‘Hindu terror tag’, the BJP was playing “Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde”.
Dr Jekyl – Hyde politics of BJP continues over Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse. PM Modi says- won’t forgive. Amit Shah says – no regret. #BJPSupportsTerrorists https://t.co/Hc63UuuWH5
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) May 17, 2019
Others still pointed out how Amit Shah got defensive and shielded PM Modi from all questions.
“Modi does not have to answer” Shah at PM presser
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) May 17, 2019
Did anyone notice how aggressive Amit Shah was when a reporter insisted a question be answered by the PM? He said "question is baseless and PM need not answer anything"…um again reminder we are a democracy. The elected representatives are ACCOUNTABLE to us, the people.
— Padma Priya D (@priyakamal) May 17, 2019
PM muzzled by Amit Shah in his press conference. Not allowed to speak? We want to listen to the PM please.
— Vijaita Singh (@vijaita) May 17, 2019
“Mr Shah, are you the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate or the morose gentleman sitting next to you?”
— Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) May 17, 2019
Have we got it all wrong for 5 years? Is it possible Modi is the puppet and Amit Shah the puppet master? Sure looks like it at this presser!
— Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) May 17, 2019
Also Read: Twitter Unites To Condemn PM Modi For His Hateful Comments On Rajiv Gandhi