
In the wake of the much-hyped G20 summit in the nation’s capital on Saturday and Sunday (September 9 and 10), the remarks of a journalist from Singapore have gone viral on social media.
The journalist from CNBC, Martin Soong, who was reporting from New Delhi, while speaking to a TV journalist in the studio, said that the G20 summit “threatens to be overshadowed actually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and by India.”
“We can talk about how he has attracted criticism from the opposition and, generally, critics, on how he is using this event as almost a way to start campaigning early for elections here in India which are likely to be held in around 8-9 months or so. He has pulled out all the stops. He made a real spectacle out of the G20. We talked about how on the streets of Delhi, every few meters or so, there are posters all over the place — hundreds, if not thousands of them — advertising his (PM Modi’s) face,” he said.
Talking more about the summit, Soong said that a “train ride of meetings” culminates the summit. “This year in India, this is an interesting statistic: They’ve had 200 run-up meetings at lower levels, let’s say trade and the like. We’ve never seen that kind of number of meetings before in the run up to any G20 meet before,” he remarked.
Part of his full video report was widely circulated on social media.
The full video of his ground reportage from Delhi is available on YouTube
Meanwhile, British Daily The Guardian, in a recent report, highlighted ‘tall green walls’ made out of plastic that were erected around slums in New Delhi as part of the beautifying the national capital for the G20 summit.
“On the outside of the hoardings that now surround their slums, large posters bearing the face of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, have been placed, welcoming the G20 summit delegates who are likely to pass by,” the report said.
The report quoted several Delhi slum dwellers and stated that the G20 summit “will deal a blow not only to their dignity but also to their livelihoods.”
“In a bid to keep security tight and the roads clear as the likes of Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and Olaf Scholz arrive, a sweeping shutdown has been imposed on the 32 million people living in Delhi. All schools, offices, workplaces, markets, restaurants, and non-food shops have been ordered to close for three days, movement on the roads will be restricted, all food deliveries have been banned and people recommended to stay at home,” it said.
The report said that the summit has led to three days worth of losses to roadside vendors.
“For roadside vendors, who will bear three days of losses, the shutdown was also particularly galling. Earlier, they had been ordered by the Delhi government to renovate and refurbish their businesses for the G20 summit at their own cost, but now are not able to open shop,” it said.