New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s attitude towards the press was once again foregrounded during his Europe trip on Monday (May 18), when he was heckled by a Norwegian journalist over whether he would take questions from the media but walked away without doing so.Immediately after Modi and his Norwegian opposite number Jonas Gahr Store finished their joint press statement in Oslo, Helle Lyng Svendsen, a commentator with the Dagsavisen newspaper, cried out: “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?”Primeminister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to.Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th, competing with Palestine, Emirates & Cuba.It is our job to question the powers we cooperate… pic.twitter.com/vZHYZnAvev— Helle Lyng (@HelleLyngSvends) May 18, 2026Modi, who in his remarks had touted India as the world’s largest democracy, walked away with Store who, according to The Hindu‘s Suhasini Haidar, returned to give interviews to mediapersons.Svendsen said she did not expect Modi – who has only twice taken questions from journalists in open press conferences in his decade-long tenure as prime minister, both abroad – to hear her question.“It is our job to question the powers we cooperate with,” she wrote on X, noting that while Norway stands first on Reporters Without Borders’ global Press Freedom Index, India is 157th of 180 countries ranked.Later on Monday evening, the Indian embassy in Oslo tagged Svendsen on X and said she could come to its press briefing on Modi’s visit scheduled for 9:30 pm local time.Earlier, the Modi government’s relationship with the media entered the spotlight when Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten told reporters ahead of his dinner with the Indian PM that his and other European countries’ governments harboured concern over press freedom under Modi in addition to human rights among minorities and the rule of law.Asked about Jetten’s remarks by a local reporter at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s press briefing later on Saturday, secretary (west) Sibi George chalked up such questions to “the lack of understanding of the person” asking.However when another journalist followed up to note that the questioner was citing Jetten himself and if George was saying the Dutch premier ought to have a better understanding, the diplomat claimed he had not seen Jetten’s remarks.“I haven’t seen that statement. I am referring to the question which, you know, about that topic which was raised about the freedom and I think I have clarified how beautiful a country India is. Thank you,” said George.After the last time Modi took a journalist’s question at an open press conference – in 2023 with then-US President Joe Biden in Washington – which was about minority rights and freedom of speech under his government, the reporter, Sabrina Siddique of the Wall Street Journal, was targeted with intense online harassment and attacks by Hindutva politicians and supporters.