NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday ahead of a G20 summit in India, but media persons were stopped from covering the meeting.
Media persons’ access to such bilateral meetings on the sidelines of summits like the G20 is always tightly controlled, but it is hardly stopped entirely.
The incident occurred following protracted talks were needed before Indian officials agreed to Modi taking one question from US journalists at a press briefing when he made an official visit to the United States in June.
Repression of Muslims in India
At the Washington news conference with President Biden in June, the one question to Narendra Modi came from Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Sabrina Siddiqui, who asked the Hindu extremist PM regarding accusations of repression of Muslims in India and New Delhi’s record on human rights violation. The journalist was subsequently endangered to “intense online harassment,” in a statement the White House Correspondents’ Association said, “including from elements with relations to BJP.”
The White House “pool” of reporters accompanying President Biden usually attends the start of meetings such as Friday’s, hearing statements, taking photographs — and also asking some questions.
“Biden believes the free press is the pillar of our democracy,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on board the airplane taking the President to New Delhi, adding they were doing all they could to ensure journalists’ access.
After landing, President Biden headed to Modi’s residence, but reporters traveling with Biden were told to remain outside.
