Prime Minister’s first interview in poll season airs at 8 am today

Prime Minister Modi, who began his 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign on Thursday, has given an interview — his first this poll season — to news channel Republic Bharat. The channel’s Twitter handle announced late Thursday evening that the Prime Minister’s interview — ‘the biggest election interview’ — would be broadcast at 8 am today. This comes three months after Modi’s last interview to news agency Asian News International.

Prime Minister Modi, who began his 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign on Thursday, has given an interview — his first this poll season — to news channel Republic Bharat. The channel’s Twitter handle announced late Thursday evening that the Prime Minister’s interview — ‘the biggest election interview’ — would be broadcast at 8 am today. This comes three months after Modi’s last interview to news agency Asian News International.

In the past five years, Modi has not had a single press conference, and has given handful interviews to news channels and dailies. In his last interview, Modi told ANI editor Smita Prakash in January that the upcoming elections would be a faceoff between the ‘junta and the gathbandhan’. Following the interview, he was at the receiving end of mixed responses from political leaders, with Opposition front runner Rahul Gandhi alleging it was a ‘staged interview’.

Modi began his party’s campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with three rallies Thursday — in Meerut, Rudrapur and Jammu. Modi is scheduled to visit and address rallies in three other places today — Koraput in Odisha, Mahabubnagar in Telangana and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.

The BJP had demanded an apology from Rahul for his comments on Modi's ANI interview, whereas National Union of Journalists (India) said it was unbecoming of the Congress president to mock the interviewer.

In his rallies on Thursday, PM Narendra Modi hit out at the Opposition parties and claimed that they are competing to “become heroes in Pakistan” where they are “getting great media coverage” and “applause”. Slamming the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh and said, it stood for “sarab” (liquor) which was “harmful for the health” of the people. He raised the Balakot issue in Meerut and Jammu.

Calling himself a “damdar chowkidar” (powerful) who was up against “daagdar chowkidar” (tainted), he mocked the Opposition for questioning him on the air strike: “Why did Modi hit terrorists in their homes in Pakistan? Why did Modi destroy their camps?”

Modi also gave an interview to YourStory, a platform for stories related to startups and entrepreneurs, in January this year. PM Modi has previously in his interviews spoken about issues like demonetisation, Ayodhya dispute, implementation of GST, Doklam standoff with China, triple talaq, and India’s relations with Pakistan.

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