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11 years. Zero solo press conferences. Norway asked. Australia asked. Now New Zealand's journalists asked the same question: why won't PM Modi ever take unscripted questions? The government's answer: rural voters prefer direct communication like Mann ki Baat, and it's why he keeps winning. Notice what that answer doesn't say: it doesn't say he'll take questions. It says he's found a format where he doesn't have to. Every democracy's leader faces adversarial journalists → probing, interrupting, following up. Modi gives interviews only to friendly anchors, with pre-cleared questions, no follow-ups. India ranks 157th out of 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index. That's not a coincidence → it's the same instinct. This isn't about one press conference. It's about whether the world's largest democracy has a leader willing to be questioned by the people who elected him → or only one who talks at them. A PM who's confident in his record doesn't need a script. PressFreedom AccountabilityMatters