Over the weekend, three of India’s biggest media companies published sweeping interviews with prime minister Narendra Modi.

Responding to questions from The Times of India and the Hindustan Times newspapers, and news agency ANI, Modi highlighted his government’s achievements over the past four years while also addressing the criticism over its record on creating jobs, the spread of fake news, and rising vigilantism by self-proclaimed protectors of cows, which has fueled a spate of mob violence and lynchings across the country.

These exchanges come at a time when the Modi government has its back to the wall because of the serious misgivings over a mega defence deal with French aircraft maker Rafale. Doubts over propriety and manipulation of processes in the deal have been raised not just by the opposition parties but even by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) colleagues.

Curiously, all the interviews were conducted over email, with no follow-up questions—the latest sign of the dispensation’s obsession with controlling the media narrative.