$20,000 diamond from Narendra Modi tops Biden family's 2023 gift list
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gift of a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond, valued at $20,000 (approximately ₹17 lakh), was the most expensive gift received by the Biden family in 2023, according to an annual disclosure by the US State Department. The diamond, encased in a Kashmiri papier-mâché box, was presented to First Lady Jill Biden during Modi's visit to the US in June 2023. It now resides in the White House East Wing for official use.
In the same visit, Modi also gifted President Joe Biden a carved sandalwood box, a book titled The Ten Principal Upanishads, a statue, and an oil lamp worth a combined $6,232. Additionally, in November 2022, he had presented Biden with a painting valued at $1,000.
Other notable gifts from the Indian government include a $850 wall hanging presented to Kurt Campbell, US Deputy Secretary of State, and latticework and camel bone boxes worth $125 each to Senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval gifted his American counterpart Jacob Sullivan a $485 silver jaguar statue and a $638 wooden elephant structure in January and July 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, Deputy NSA Rajinder Khanna gifted items such as a silver elephant sculpture worth $3,980 and a $515 silver candlestick set to US officials.
Under US law, foreign gifts exceeding $480 in value must be declared and typically transferred to the National Archives or used for official purposes. Most high-value items from India were retained for White House use, while others were archived.
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Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleges ₹1 crore bribe offer for Padma award during UPA regime
New Delhi: Former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar has alleged that he was offered a bribe of ₹1 crore for a Padma award during the Congress-led UPA regime in 2010. Chandrasekhar claimed that the offer was made in recognition of his contributions to the telecom sector.
The BJP leader made this revelation on January 5 through a post on X (formerly Twitter), accusing the UPA government of corrupt practices in awarding civilian honours. The Padma Awards, which include Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, are among India’s highest civilian awards, recognising excellence in various fields such as arts, education, literature, and science.
Chandrasekhar's allegations came shortly after US President Joe Biden conferred the Medal of Freedom on several dignitaries, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and football legend Lionel Messi.
There has been no immediate response or denial from any members of the former UPA government regarding the allegations.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2024, served as the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship from 2021 to 2024.
