Nepal PM Sushil Koirala learnt of earthquake from my tweet, says PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi told reporters on Wednesday that Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was away on an official visit to Thailand, learnt about the earthquake from his tweet. He said Koirala called to say that his tweet was his first source of information on the earthquake.

"I get information because I remain connected," Modi said at a training programme for journalists in parliamentary processes.

"During my chief minister days, one night at around 3:15am, I received a call from a person who I had lunch with many years ago. He had kept my number and called me to inform about a loud explosion-like noise at that hour. He said it could have been a train accident since the tracks were just a km from his home," Modi said.

The PM said when he called the chief secretary, the district collector or the administration did not have the information about the train accident. But because he knew, he had relief and rescue sent within 20 minutes.

"By morning, the injured were in the hospital for medical treatment and the casualties were also taken care of. I visited the spot in the morning and everything was in order," he recollected.

"The media may have got upset that everything had been sorted out and there was no accident to shoot or bytes to capture. Railway minister Lalu Prasad reached much later in the afternoon and had to confront slogan-shouting protestors. Stones were also pelted at him," Modi said.

"Lalu then said 'Modi had pelted ice bricks at him. The ice melted away and there was no proof left of the attack on him'," the PM said, laughing.

The programme was organised by the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies under the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

"Journalists should work in the interest of the country and not for a government. Media should measure the value of news with a weighing scale. The day journalists decide to work in the nation's interest, all our problems will be resolved," Modi said.