Fri 08 September 2023:
Despite repeated requests from the administration for more press access, the White House announced Thursday evening that reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to India for this week’s G20 summit will not have the chance to ask questions to Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the two leaders meet in New Delhi, CNN reported.
“This meeting will be taking place at the prime minister’s residence, so, it is unusual in that respect – this is not your typical bilateral visit to India, with meetings taking place in the prime minister’s office and an entire program,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. “This is the host of the G20 hosting a significant number of leaders, doing so in his home, and he set out the protocols he set out.”
Modi, who has drawn international criticism from press freedom groups criticizing the Indian prime minister for a crackdown on independent reporting, has very rarely taken questions since assuming power.
Modi decided to attend in a White House news conference during a state visit in June following lengthy, complex negotiations between the two sides. Officials in India first objected to the White House’s insistence on having one.
The government has emphasized the president’s willingness to criticize Modi on press freedom and humanitarian issues during his tenure.
During Modi’s June visit, six Democratic members skipped his presentation to Congress, criticizing India’s treatment of Muslim minority in the nation. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among those who spoke out.
Instead of addressing reporters following the conclusion of the summit in New Delhi, Biden will hold a news conference in Vietnam, where the White House said it would be “easier” for the president to take questions from reporters.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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