Joe Biden And Narendra Modi To Take Questions From Journalists Today
Update: 2023-06-22 12:17 IST
A senior White House official referred to the event as a "big deal" as it will feature US President Joe Biden and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi making speeches and fielding questions from the media on Thursday during the Indian leader's state visit. According to White House national security spokesman John Kirby, the White House is aware that the press conference is a "big deal."
Modi rarely answers questions from the media, excluding the occasional interview. In the roughly nine years after he became prime minister, he has not spoken at a single press conference in India. He appeared at a press conference in May 2019 but refused to take any questions.
Kirby said that they are simply appreciative that Prime Minister Modi would attend a press conference at the conclusion of the visit. They believe that's critical, and they appreciate his agreement.
According to Kirby, there will be two questions during the press conference: one from the US press and one from an Indian journalist.
Press conferences held at the White House with other world leaders have been strictly regulated, with U.S. authorities appointing reporters from the domestic and international media in advance for Biden and his guest to call upon, and a relatively small number of questions.
Democrats are pressuring Biden to bring up human rights with Modi due to worries about a deterioration of democracy in India under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. One potential subject for the news conference is human rights.