The Congress has posed questions over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits and said the country has benefited nothing from his frequent trips.
The party’s chief spokesperson, in an apparent response to the BJP’s attack against Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trips, said Modi spent three-and-a-half months abroad in 29 trips during the last 16 months. “What is the outcome of the PM’s trips abroad? .... Almost ₹200 crore of public money have been spent on PM’s trip abroad, what is the result of these visits?” the Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters here on Thursday.
Calling the Prime Minister an “NRI PM”, the Congress leader said none of the investments, as signed during such trips, have reached the country. He said public money was being spent to promote the image of Modi and to take selfies.
“The Prime Minister went to China and said India will get investments worth $14 trillion. He went to Japan and said the country is investing $3.5 trillion here. He went to South Korea and said we will get investment of $10 billion. Modi said Germany will invest $1.2 billion…but the country got nothing so far. Where has that investment come? (sic)” Surjewala said.
‘Issues unaddressed’ He added that on several issues such as WTO funding on solar mission and banning poultry from India due to avian flu, the government did nothing to help the country. “It is time for some diplomatic action rather than public relations and selfies,” Surjewala said.