Rs 239 crores spent on PM Modi's foreign visits in last 5 years: Govt tells RS
New Delhi (PTI): An expenditure of little over Rs 239 crore was incurred in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to various foreign countries in the last five years, according to details provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said these visits have enhanced understanding of India's perspectives on regional and global issues among its foreign partners at the highest level.
"The objective of the prime minister's visits abroad has been to foster closer relations with foreign countries and promote India's engagements at regional and global level," he said.
Muraleedharan was replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on the prime minister's visits, their outcomes and details of expenditure incurred on each of the visits in the last five years.
The minister said such visits are an important means by which India serves its national interest and implements foreign policy objectives.
"Understandings reached during these visits have enabled India to strengthen relations with partner countries and put forward India's viewpoint and shape the global agenda on global issues such as reformed multilateralism, climate change, transnational crime, terrorism, cyber-security, etc," he said.
In his written reply, Muraleedharan provided details of Modi's visit beginning his three trip to Philippines in November 2017.
He gave details of the composition of delegations accompanying the prime minister in each of the 36 trips while expenditure was provided for 31 visits.
According to the details, nine of the 36 trips involved Modi's visits to two or more countries.
The minister said the expenditures on account of the prime minister's visits to Bangladesh (March 26-27, 2021), the US (September 22-26, 2021), Italy and the UK (October 29 to November 2, 2021) were met from the budget head of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The expenditure incurred on these three visits are among the five trips whose expenses were not mentioned in the list. The other two were his visit to Bhutan in August 2019 and Nepal in May this year.
The total expenditure in the 31 trips comes to Rs 239,04,08,625, according to the details.
According to the details, a maximum of Rs 23,27,09,000 was incurred on the prime minister's visit to the US from September 21 to 28, 2019 while a minimum of Rs 23,86,536 was spent on his trip to Japan from September 26 to 28 this year.
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Nothing wrong if Kharge wants to come back to Karnataka politics: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said there is nothing wrong if party national President Mallikarjun Kharge wants to return to state politics.
He was responding to a question from reporters on Kharge's remarks, recalling how he lost the Chief Minister's post to S M Krishna after the 1999 Karnataka Assembly polls. Kharge's remarks added to the speculations of leadership change in Congress and about his return to state politics.
Senior Congress leader Parameshwara also said that wrongly interpreting Kharge is also not correct.
Kharge's statement seems to have rekindled the debate on 'Dalit CM' within the party. The AICC President, who hails from Karnataka, belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
Making a Dalit the CM is a hotly debated matter within the Congress party, the issue on which senior leaders and Ministers Parameshwara and H C Mahadevappa have openly spoken in the past. Both belong to Scheduled Castes.
These comments have come amid speculations within the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the Chief Minister change later this year, citing a rumoured power-sharing agreement involving incumbent Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
"Kharge is a senior leader not only in our party, but in national politics, making comments on him is not right. Kharge is competent to hold all kinds of positions; he has experience, and he has been in politics for about 50 years. If he says something, interpreting it wrongly is not correct," Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question.
Asked about some speaking about his return to state politics, he said, "There is nothing wrong in it. He is holding the decisive position in our party. He is the one who decides as to who should be the Chief Minister, being the AICC President. So, in case he wants to come back to state politics, no one should interpret it wrong."
Speaking at an event in Vijayapura on Sunday, Kharge had recalled about him missing the Chief Ministerial post, when Congress came to power in 1999.
"As CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader I tried to bring the party to power (ahead of 1999 polls), the party formed the government and S M Krishna became the Chief Minister. He had come (as KPCC President) four months ahead (of polls)....all my service was washed down the river. I feel that -- I toiled for five years, but the person who came four months ago was made the CM," the Congress chief had said.
"What I'm trying to say is, we may face difficulties, but we must continue to work without greed in mind. If you are greedy, you won't get anything, also you won't be able to do what's in your mind. Passing through all these things, from being a block president, I have now become AICC President. I did not go behind positions," he further said.
Mahadevappa too, reacting to Kharge's statement on Monday had said, Kharge is one of the senior leaders in the country and he has all the required qualities to occupy any constitutional post, and our wish is that he should get an opportunity, whenever there is one.
Naming Dalit leaders in Congress who have occupied the CM post in other states like -- Damodaram Sanjivayya, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jagannath Pahadia and Ram Sundar Das, he said, "When time comes the party will take a decision and everyone will abide by it."
However, trying to downplay speculations, Kharge's son and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday said his father was merely sharing the path he had walked in his political career -- both ups and downs -- and that his speech should be seen in entirety not selectively. He has also made it clear that he has no regrets.
"From the blessings of everyone, the people of Kalaburagi and Karnataka, he is in the post that was once occupied by Subhas Chandra Bose and Gandhiji. Whatever he has decided on his political future, he will decide himself. He has earned that respect and reputation. He has a good relationship with the high command. Whatever he decides, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will automatically accept it," he said.
