Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the media to 'keep the interests of the country in mind' and urged journalists to promote the government's initiatives, such as the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.
Modi made the statement on Wednesday while interacting with a group of journalists from Madhya Pradesh on an assignment with the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training, IANS reported.
Modi is known to share an 'on-off' relationship with the media, with the two finding common ground during the rescue operations in earthquake-hit Nepal. The Indian media praised the Modi government's quick response to the disaster in the neighbouring nation, and Modi thanked the media for the coverage.
"Mention must be made of the media. They are bravely covering the disaster from the ground. Thanks!," he tweeted on Monday after the #ThankYouPM hashtag was trending.
However, just days earlier, Modi had blasted the media for not highlighting the 'good works' of the government, referring to rescue operations in Yemen.
"Look at TV channels and newspapers the world over, they are talking about how India has conducted the operation from the forefront. Indian newspapers spoke about it in the end and that too due to some other reason," Modi had said, referring to the furore over General (retd) V K Singh's 'Presstitutes' remark.
