The headline of this piece is
actually a quote by the famous J.R.R.Tolkien on travel. I just added the second
line!
And this quote definitely does
NOT apply on Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of UPA. She was drawn into the
headlines, this week, after a much charged remark by Mr. Narendra Modi that
Govt. of India had incurred an expenditure of Rs. 1880 crores on the foreign
trips of Mrs Gandhi. Expenditure directly coming from normal taxpayer’s hard
earner income!
The remark was made in the poll
bound state of Gujrat already in mid of a pre electoral frenzy involving
exchange of words between ruling BJP & opposition Congress. Against such a
set up, the remark of Mr. Modi naturally shook the entire nation.
Lot
has happened after that! The original RTI applicant Mr. Ramesh Verma from Hisar
went on to say that he had not yet got any reply from the Govt. and that Mr.
Modi had misquoted him. For records, Mr. modi had quoted this amount from a Gujrati
Newspaper and in all probability, news of similar overtones had been carried in
other newspapers too.
Whether it was correct or not
correct, Modi had made a remark. In fact, he went on to ask the central Govt to
correct him by providing the exact figure. And, very surprisingly, the Govt did
NOT retort back with exact figures. This left the country wondering, as UPA run
central Govt in the past had never left any opportunity to tarnish Modi.
Why did the Govt keep quiet? Why
doesn’t it give answer to the nation? After all, Rs. 1880 crore is not a very
small amount. To quote Mr. Modi himself, “This clearly means that more than the
total yearly budget of Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot Municipal
Corporation combined has been spent only on the foreign trips of Sonia Gandhi
and on her luxury hotel stays,"
And then all of a sudden CIC said
that NO LOSS had been incurred over the medical expenditure of Mrs. Gandhi
(whatever it means!) and went on to say that Mrs. Gandhi never gave any bills
for reimbursement. Hello there! the question is on her foreign trip
expenditure. Of course, world’s 4th richest politician (as per
Forbes) can foot her medical bill.
While we shall see if the Govt.
ever shares the exact figures incurred on the foreign trips of Mrs. Gandhi, but
I question the very need for incurring any amount on her foreign trips.
Ø
What official post does Mrs. Gandhi hold? So as
to entail her for trips abroad!
Ø
What powers have been vested in her to sign any
accord with any foreign country! So why the foreign trips?
Ø
What major decision has been ever taken by Mrs
Gandhi internally so as to expect her to take one with regards to a foreign
country! So why foreign trips
Ø
Chairperson of a ruling coalition is not
officially the head of the state! So why foreign trips.
Of course, her private trips are
her private affair. She is free to travel to Zug (banking capital of
Switzerland) suddenly in mid of the huge protest by Baba Ramdev for bringing
back the black money or she is free to make sudden mysterious trips to US for
check up (which our great investigative media could not or did not
investigate). BUT, when a statement by a senior leader is made on her foreign
trips being paid out of tax payers money, she can not keep quiet. Govt. can not
keep quiet.
And it is the same lady who had
called Modi a “maut ka saudagar” but in midst of such a major, if I may call
it, an allegation, she decides not to answer it and I am afraid, it can not be
seen as a mark of humility or greatness…it leaves a lot to the imagination of
public, perhaps yet another feeling of let down unless Govt clears the stance
