Teleprompter Controversy Over PM Modi’s Davos Speech

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What is a teleprompter?

A teleprompter, also commonly referred to as a prompter or Autocue, is a device that allows a presenter to read a script whilst maintaining direct eye contact with the audience.
Because the speaker does not need to look down to consult written notes, he/she appears to have memorized the speech or to be speaking spontaneously.

It started in 1948 as a clunky jugaad: a roll of printed paper propped up against half a suitcase.
But soon it became a neat little machine generations of politicians have loved: two nearly invisible plates of glass angled at a 45-degree slant at either side of their podiums that they can read off.
It conveys the impression that the reader — most often the leader — has memorised his or her speeches and are connecting with the audience.

Was it a technical glitch or a teleprompter failure?
That is the question Narendra Modi’s critics and supporters are fighting over after the prime minister was forced to restart his virtual address at the World Economic
Forum’s (WEF) Davos agenda.

A few seconds into his WEF address Monday, the PM could be seen pausing before looking to his left.
As he began his WEF address Monday, PM Modi said: “India offers a bouquet of hope to the world. It includes our trust in democracy; it includes our technology, our temperament and talent…”
He then paused suddenly for a few seconds, before throwing down his hands in frustration and asking WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab if he was audible.

After Schwab responded in the affirmative, the PM restarted his address.
“I would suggest that we start the official session now and we will have just one short introduction…” Schwab eventually said, prompting the session to restart.
A person speaking in Hindi could also be heard in the background during the interruption.
The interruption lasted a little under two minutes, after which PM Modi continued with his special ‘State of the World’ address.

Just after the incident, Modi’s critics in the Opposition alleged that he ran out of words as his teleprompter failed, alluding to past criticism from leaders like Rahul Gandhi that Modi can’t speak if he isn’t fed words on a teleprompter.
With the hashtag ‘#TeleprompterPM’, the official Twitter handle of the Congress party attributed the glitch to a teleprompter issue.

While an official government statement has not been issued yet, official sources said the real issue was poor connectivity and sequencing of events by the WEF.
There was a connection problem on both sides and the PM’s speech began before the audience could be looped in by the organisers of WEF.
The technical aspects of the feed are usually taken care of at the PM’s residence by the Prime Minister’s Office, in coordination with the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, sources added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s official spokesperson Suresh Nakhua blamed WEF technicians for the glitch.

Dwight D Eisenhower was the first US president to address the nation with a teleprompter during the 1952 presidential campaign.
He was once heard scolding the machine for moving too slowly during his speech.
In 2009, the Irish prime minister read US President Barack Obama’s speech from the teleprompter.
And Modi himself in 2015 had addressed the wife of the then Sri Lankan president as M.R.S. Sirisena.

Q) The Indian National Congress made demand for the first time for a Constituent Assembly in?