Govt questions NYT ‘wisdom’ over piece critical of PM Modi

The external affairs ministry on Friday took exception to an editorial in The New York Times, which criticised the BJP’s decision to appoint Yogi Adityanath as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Referring to the article titled Modi’s Perilous Embrace of Hindu Extremists, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said: “All editorials or opinions are subjective. This case is particularly so. The wisdom in doubting the verdicts of genuine democratic exercises — at home or abroad — is questionable.”

The editorial, which was highly critical of PM Narendra Modi, claimed that he has been playing a “cagey game by appeasing his party’s hardline Hindu base while promoting secular goals of development and economic growth”.