The prime minister’s face might be splashed across your newspaper every morning, but the man himself is despondent about the media not covering him enough.

Yes, speaking at a rally in Telangana’s Sangareddy on Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi bemoaned the fact that the media was “not giving” him coverage at all, or enough coverage, to his “public service”. 

The “public service” in question was Modi auctioning off gifts he’s received over the years, apparently raking in Rs 150 crore to be allocated towards the “nation”. Sadly, this was “not news” for the media.

He said in Hindi, “Hamare media walon ke liye ye jo main bol raha hoon wo khabrein nai hoti hain. Kyunki jo ye khabrein chap jayein, baaki logon ko bahot neecha dikhana padega. Isliye aisi khabron ko daba diya jata hain.” 

Loosely translated, “This is not news for our media persons. Because if they print these news, they will show others in a bad light. So, such news is suppressed.“  

Not one to toot his own horn, Modi continued: “Your servant has approximately spent Rs 150 crore in the service of people…Agar main bhi parivarwadi hota toh ye sab kuch le jata, aur koi puchta hi nahi. Wo kehte manch pe diya tha ye toh unka hain. Maine isko bhi apki sewa mein arpit kardiya hain.” 

Some of these auctioned gifts include a pinstripe suit that fetched Rs 4.3 crore and qualified for a Guinness World Record, and a painting of Banaras Ghat by artist Paresh Maity, which received a bid of ₹74.5 lakh – the list seems endless.

It’s unclear whether the public must be grateful that the prime minister didn’t instead keep the gifts, but we digress. After all, any public accountability is worth applauding – especially when it comes to a government that does it so rarely.

Just this morning, a contempt petition was filed in the Supreme Court against the State Bank of India for missing its deadline to disclose information about electoral bonds purchased and encashed since 2019. 

And electoral bonds are just the tip of the iceberg. Last month, The News Minute and Newslaundry joined hands to delve into the murky world of companies that donate funds to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Check out the series here.

If you liked this piece, let our reporters tell you why you should subscribe to Newslaundry.    

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together. Choose an election project you would like to support and power our journalism. Click here.