Helly Laing made headlines after she called out Prime Minister Modi at the end of a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Jahr Støre in Oslo.
Helle Ling, a Norwegian journalist and commentator for the Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen, finds herself part of most political conversations in India today. Reason: She wanted to ask questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a press conference in Norway.
Laing made headlines after he addressed Prime Minister Modi at the end of a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Sture in Oslo, asking him: “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” Prime Minister Modi and his Norwegian counterpart did not respond as they were already on their way out.
The moment, captured on video and later shared by Ling on X, quickly went viral and sparked political backlash in both India and Norway. In her social media post, Laing noted that Norway ranks first on the World Press Freedom Index while India ranks 157. She wrote that questioning world leaders is the “job” of journalists in democratic societies.
Confrontation with Middle East Airlines
Laing works for the Oslo-based Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen. She covers political and international affairs and was part of the media unit reporting on Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Norway.
The row later escalated during an official Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press conference when Ling again questioned Indian officials on issues related to human rights, democracy and media freedom in India. She wondered why the international community should “trust” India and whether Prime Minister Modi would start taking “critical questions” from the press.
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Her questions elicited a strong response from Middle East Affairs Minister (West) Sibi George, who defended India’s democratic institutions, constitutional safeguards and media ecosystem. The dialogue became tense at several points, with George accusing foreign critics of relying on selective reporting from “ignorant NGOs” without understanding India’s size and diversity.
Social media backlash and “espionage” claims.
Following this viral exchange, Ling claimed she faced online abuse and conspiracy allegations on social media, including accusations that she was a foreign “spy.” In a subsequent post on X, she rejected the allegations and explained that she was simply doing her job as a journalist.
“I never thought I would have to write this, but I am not a foreign spy of any kind,” she wrote, adding that her profession was journalism and that she worked mainly in Norway.
Laing also defended her decision to raise questions publicly during the Oslo visit, saying it is customary in Norway for visiting leaders to answer at least some media questions during official appearances. She pointed out that no such opportunity was given during Prime Minister Modi’s meetings in Norway.
Political reactions in India
The controversy quickly spread to the political arena in India, where leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress Party participated in this matter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared the video online and criticized Prime Minister Modi over the incident, claiming that the Prime Minister appeared uncomfortable facing questions from journalists.
However, the BJP rejected the criticism and accused the opposition of exaggerating the routine diplomatic moment to target the government.
Responding sharply to the criticism, Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, defended Prime Minister Modi and questioned the anger surrounding the incident. He said Norway’s prime minister also did not take questions during the joint media appearance and accused opposition leaders of politicizing the issue.
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