What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi displayed his gift of the gab and his ability to produce quick-witted comebacks at the drop of the hat at a media event on Saturday. The owner of a prominent media house bragged about how every time Prime Minister attends his organisation’s annual conclave, it acts as a lucky charm resulting in electoral victories for him. PM didn’t miss the opportunity to come up with a quick retort saying, “Aaj main aapki dukaan chala leta hoon (Let me run your shop today).”
His comments were made in response to the owner’s remarks stating, “Since 2014 you have won all Lok Sabha elections because you attended our conclaves. To keep the winning streak intact, you must also come for the 2024 conclave,” he said.
During the conclave the owner also complained that the central government has made the life of journalists and media outlets difficult ever since the PM took over the top job in the country. “It is impossible to get leaks from this government. PM Modi has made the life of news channels very difficult. We never come to know who will make it to the cabinet reshuffle, who will be the CM etc. But that was not the case with previous governments,” said the top boss of the news channel, with the Prime Minister sitting and grinning at the candid confessions of one of India’s most powerful Editors-in-chiefs.
The Editor-in-chief went on to say that he was aware of the Prime Minister’s reasoning behind keeping all developments in his government away from the media’s prying eyes. “I know you will say main aapki dukaan kyu chalayu? (Why should I run your shop?),” he added.
When it was his turn to speak, the Prime Minister retorted with “Aaj main aapki dukaan chala leta hoon (Let me run your shop today),” he said.
In his speech, the Prime Minister made an appeal to the media community to think of a global perspective while reporting their stories. “India is playing a global role. Indian media too has to play a global role at this point,” he said.
The Prime Minister lived up to his promise of “running the news channel’s shop for the day” and gave several quotable quotes relevant to the ongoing political slugfest between the Congress and the BJP on the controversial remarks made by Rahul Gandhi attacking the state of Indian democracy under Modi, during his London visit.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister said that it was the power of Indian democracy and its institutions that she was able to wade through a pandemic and global economic crisis and instability. “We showed the world that democracy can deliver. Our democracy and our institutions are our biggest strengths. There are some people who are not happy with all this good news. People who only speak of India in a negative, pessimistic way even though we are making great strides – I consider them like ‘kaala tika,” he said in his concluding remarks at the event.
