The Congress party has taken aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his recent podcast with computer scientist Lex Fridman. In a conversation lasting nearly three hours, released on Sunday, PM Modi discussed his upbringing, diplomacy, leadership, and his interactions with prominent global figures, such as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Modi commended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological backbone of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for instilling in him a sense of patriotism, praised its legacy, and referred to himself as a peacemaker who has encouraged both Russian and Ukrainian leaders to engage in dialogue.
In response to the podcast, Congress general secretary for communications, Jairam Ramesh, criticized Modi for asserting that “criticism is the soul of democracy,” while alleging that he has been dismantling institutions designed to hold his government accountable, and that he has pursued critics with unprecedented intensity.
“A person who avoids facing the media in a press conference has sought refuge in a foreign podcaster aligned with the right-wing narrative,” Ramesh remarked.
This latest episode of the Lex Fridman podcast marks PM Modi’s second appearance. Previously, in January, he participated in a discussion with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath on a podcast.
‘Methodically weakened every institution’
“And he has the audacity to declare that ‘criticism is the soul of democracy’ when he has methodically weakened every institution that is meant to hold his government accountable, and has pursued critics with a level of fervor unmatched in recent history!” Ramesh posted on X.
In the podcast with Lex Fridman, PM Modi expressed his openness to criticism. “I firmly believe that criticism is the soul of democracy. I want to convey to all young people: no matter how grim the night appears, it is still merely night, and dawn will inevitably come,” Modi stated when asked about criticisms, particularly in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A person who avoids facing the media in a press conference has sought refuge in a foreign podcaster aligned with the right-wing narrative.
“Hypo(d)crisy ki koi seema nahi hai! (There is no end to Hypo(d)crisy),” Ramesh commented, cleverly playing on words used by the Prime Minister himself, “Hypocrisy ki bhi koi seema hoti hai.”
Prior to Modi, the Lex Fridman podcast featured various global figures, including US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Argentinian Prime Minister Javier Milei, tech leaders such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman, as well as public thinkers like Yuval Noah Harari.
