Key Points:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official visit to New Zealand but didn't address any press conference in the oceanic country.
When asked about why the Indian PM doesn't address questions from open press, MEA official said the Indian electorate prefers "direct contact," which Modi has "perfected."
Since being elected as Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has only communicated to public through rallies, interviews, and his radio programme "Mann Ki Baat."
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi's long-standing practice of ignoring open press conferences is not something out of the ordinary anymore. However, for international media it still seems bizarre for a country’s leader to not address open questions of the journalists on his visit to New Zealand. At a media briefing in Auckland, a New Zealand journalist directly asked a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official why the Indian Prime Minister had not held a press conference or taken questions from the media during the visit.
While the official seemed to refrain from commenting on Modi’s “political method,” he went on to hold him in high regard as a “successful politician” who has maintained “direct contact with the electorate.”
Responding to the question by the New Zealand media, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said, “It's not appropriate for me as a civil servant to question Modi's political method. He is a very successful politician.”
However, the Indian ambassador did give his answer, claiming that the Indian voters are mostly from rural areas who don’t like being spoken down to. According to Tandon, Indian voters prefer direct contact, which PM Modi has perfected.
He said, “Let me give you some context. Prime Minister Modi is a quintessential Indian politician. By and large, Indian politicians favor direct contact with their electorate. And you must remember that Indian electorate is predominantly rural. They want direct contact. They don't like being spoken down to. They don't like being spoken to through intermediaries, and Mr. Modi has perfected the art of direct contact with his electorate."
Tandon added that this direct connection with voters has played a major role in Modi's repeated election victories and serving as India's longest-serving prime minister.
The question came during Modi's visit to Auckland, where he held talks with New Zealand leaders, attended public events with the Indian diaspora and participated in cultural programmes.
This is not the first time PM Modi has faced questions over his lack of press conferences during an overseas visit. In May 2026, after a joint media appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng tried to ask Modi as he was leaving the venue about the same. She was heard asking, "Prime Minister Modi, why don't you take some questions from the freest press in the world?"
However, PM Modi ignored the journalists and walked away, with the incident receiving widespread international attention. Critics have repeatedly pointed out that Modi has never addressed an open press conference since becoming Prime Minister in 2014, choosing instead to communicate through interviews, public rallies, and his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (Talking from the Heart)
Videos of the Auckland press conference spread rapidly across social media, drawing sharp reactions from both supporters and critics of the Prime Minister.
Many users criticised Tandon's explanation, arguing that India's rural population has no connection with the Prime Minister's decision not to hold press conferences. Several posts called the argument illogical, claiming it reflected Modi's reluctance to face “unscripted questions” from journalists.
Some users also argued that linking rural voters with the absence of press conferences was unfair and disrespectful. A user wrote, “The Indian envoy's response to the New Zealand journalist was extremely arrogant and an insult to the intelligence of 1.4 billion Indians. Instead of facing a valid question on accountability and transparency, they arrogantly claimed that rural Indians "don't like press conferences" or media platforms, and only want "Mann Ki Baat." Elected leaders must be accountable to the public on every platform, not just in scripted monologues.”
The Prime Minister has famously done only one press conference since being elected in 2014, and that was alongside the Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019. The PM didn’t answer any questions to him directly and deferred to his aide for all responses. Meanwhile, he has repeatedly broken the record for the longest speech during an Independence Day address at Red Fort for the past two years, with 2025’s 103-minute speech breaking his own previous year record of 98 minutes.
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