People 'misunderstand' India by reading reports by "ignorant NGOs": MEA highlights vast media landscape over question concerning human rights
Oslo, May 19
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday, while responding to a question on press freedom and human rights in India, highlighted the scale and diversity of the country's media landscape, stating that many people misunderstand India after reading reports published by "ignorant NGOs".
Addressing a press conference here, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George engaged in a tense exchange with a journalist and underscored the extensive reach of India's media ecosystem.
"You know how many stories are up here. We have how many breaking news coming every day in the evening. At least 200 TV channels in Delhi alone, in English language, in Hindi language and multiple languages. People have no understanding of the scale of India. People have no understanding. They read, you know, one or two news reports published by some godforsaken, ignorant NGOs and then come and ask questions," he said.
The MEA Secretary (West) said India's Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all citizens and provides legal remedies in cases of rights violations. Highlighting India's democratic values, he said the country ensured equal voting rights for women from the time of independence.
George further stated that India believes in equality and human rights, adding that the right to vote and change governments remains the strongest example of democratic freedom.
He said, "We have a constitution which guarantees the rights of the people, fundamental rights of the people. We have, you know, we have equal rights for the women of our country, which is very important. In 1947, we gave the freedom to vote for our women. We together, we won the freedom together and they won itself. Many countries I know, the voting right for women came after several decades after India gave that freedom. You know, this, because we believe in equality, we believe in human rights. And what is the best example of human rights? The right to change government, the right to vote. And that is what is happening in India. We are so proud of that."
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who's lived in India and now in the US, I can totally relate. The Indian media landscape is incredibly vibrant. You have everything from state-run channels to hyper-local news in every language imaginable. People abroad just don't get the scale.
The point about women's voting rights from 1947 is often overlooked. India gave women the vote before many so-called "advanced" democracies. Yet these NGOs never mention that. They only focus on their pre-determined narratives. 🙄
While I appreciate the defense of India's media diversity, we shouldn't dismiss genuine concerns about press freedom either. Yes, we have many channels, but self-censorship and government pressure are real issues that need addressing. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Well said, Secretary George! These NGOs have no ground reality. They write reports sitting in Geneva or London, and people lap it up. India's democracy is vibrant — we have elections every few months, thousands of newspapers in dozens of languages. Show me another country with such diversity!
This is really frustrating. India's media might be diverse but quantity doesn't equal quality. Many channels are owned by business houses with political affiliations. The fact remains that journalists face harassment and legal threats. The MEA secretary dismissing NGOs as "ignorant" is not a serious response.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.