Subhechcha Ganguly 
The Congress on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks in a podcast with U.S.-based computer scientist Lex Fridman, accusing him of avoiding press conferences while speaking about democracy and criticism. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Modi’s statement that “criticism is the soul of democracy,” alleging that the prime minister has systematically weakened institutions meant to hold his government accountable.
“He who is afraid of facing the media in a press conference has found comfort in a foreign podcaster anchored in the right-wing ecosystem,” Ramesh wrote on X. He further accused Modi of going after his critics “with a vengeance unmatched in recent history.”
The Congress leader’s remarks come amid growing political tensions as Modi continues to engage with international platforms while avoiding unscripted interactions with the domestic press. Opposition leaders have repeatedly questioned Modi’s reluctance to hold a press conference in India, contrasting it with his willingness to appear on global platforms.
Highlighting what he called the prime minister’s “hypocrisy,” Ramesh accused Modi of systematically undermining democratic institutions while simultaneously presenting himself as a champion of democratic values. “There is no limit to Hypo(d)crisy,” he quipped.
