MEA terms Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s comments on Modi’s foreign visits ‘irresponsible’, ‘regrettable’
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visits to several Global South nations, calling his remarks “irresponsible” and “regrettable.”
During a press conference on Thursday, Mann had taken a jibe at Modi's overseas engagements, questioning the relevance of the countries visited and implying that they were obscure and sparsely populated. “He is not staying in the country where 140 crore people live,” Mann said, mockingly naming the destinations as “Magnesia,” “Galvesia,” and “Tarvesia.” He further commented, “What is the population of the countries he has been visiting? Ten thousand. And he has received their biggest awards. Here, 10,000 people gather to watch a JCB in action.”
Reacting later that day, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement without naming Mann directly but clearly referencing the comments. “We have seen some comments made by a high state authority about India’s relations with friendly countries from the Global South. These remarks are irresponsible and regrettable and do not behove the state authority,” Jaiswal said.
He added that the Government of India “disassociates itself from such unwarranted comments that undermine India’s ties with friendly countries.”
Prime Minister Modi returned on Thursday from a multi-nation tour that included Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia. The trip also featured his participation in the BRICS summit held in Rio de Janeiro.
During the visit, Modi was conferred several prestigious honours, including:
Order of the Star of Ghana
Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil)
Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis (Namibia)
In Argentina, he was also presented with a ceremonial key to the city of Buenos Aires.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
