At a media briefing in Auckland on Saturday, during the final leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation Indo-Pacific tour, a New Zealand journalist asked why Modi doesn't hold press conferences. MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon's response has since taken over Indian social media: he called Modi a "quintessential Indian politician," said questioning the Prime Minister's political style "wouldn't be appropriate" for a civil servant, and pointed to Modi's electoral record — a third term in office — as evidence the approach works.

Tandon went further, arguing that India's electorate is "predominantly rural" and prefers direct contact over being "spoken to through intermediaries," calling Modi's use of rallies, social media and similar channels a communication style he has "perfected." He also noted the moment felt like "deja vu," referencing a near-identical exchange in Norway two months earlier, when Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen asked Modi directly why he wouldn't take questions from "the freest press in the world" — a question Modi didn't answer before walking away. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal offered a shorter version of the same point separately: "The Prime Minister has his own style of communication."

The "quintessential" remark quickly became the story itself. Clips of the exchange spread across X within hours, with much of the reaction mocking the phrasing rather than engaging with Tandon's underlying argument — a pattern similar to what followed the Norway incident, where Indian broadcasters spent more airtime dissecting the confrontation than the trade agreements Modi's visit was meant to highlight. Word searches for the term "quintessential" reportedly spiked as viewers looked it up.

This marks the third time in two months a foreign journalist has raised the press-conference question with Modi or his officials during an overseas trip — after Norway in May and an incident in Melbourne in early July. Each time, officials have given a version of the same explanation: that Modi communicates differently, and by design.

Supporters of the government have made similar arguments before. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has said press conferences are no longer the only legitimate channel for public communication, pointing to rallies, public meetings and social media as equally valid.

Critics see it differently. Modi has not held a formal press conference in the decade he's been Prime Minister, relying instead on scripted interviews and platforms like Mann Ki Baat where questions aren't put to him live. India's ranking on Reporters Without Borders' 2026 World Press Freedom Index — 157th out of 180 countries, down six places from the previous year and placed in the "very serious" category — has become a regular reference point in this recurring debate, cited by critics as evidence the pattern goes beyond personal style.

For now, neither the MEA nor the Prime Minister's Office has indicated any change is coming. The pattern from Norway, Melbourne and now Auckland suggests the question — and the answer — may simply resurface again on Modi's next foreign trip.