New Delhi:
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's controversial allegation that Rs 1880 crore of public money was spent on Congress President Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips has been refuted yet again. This time, news agency Press Trust of India has denied issuing any report on the matter; Mr Modi had claimed in a TV interview on Thursday that a PTI report in July was published by several newspapers.
The news agency said: "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today made a false claim that PTI had reported in July that Congress President Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips had cost Rs 1,880 crore during a three-year period." And that, "PTI would like to make it clear that it had not issued any such story."
Speaking to a private news channel, the Gujarat chief minister had said, "In the month of July, Outlook magazine, Times of India, Indian Express and some other newspapers reported from the news of PTI that Madam Soniaji's three years of foreign tour expenses are Rs. 1,880 crore."
He also said, "So, I raised the question that it has been three months since July and why isn't the Government of India giving a clarification." The publication of such "wrong reports" should be clarified, he said.
Since he first made the claim at a public rally in Gujarat on October 1, Mr Modi has been forced to amend his allegation several times in the face of denials from various quarters. He had to apologise after a Right to Information (RTI) applicant from Hisar in Haryana - who Mr Modi said had extracted the information through an RTI application, which was then published in a local Gujarat newspaper - said on national television that though he had sought information on Mrs Gandhi's foreign travel, he was yet to receive it.
An undeterred Mr Modi said he was willing to apologise if the daily newspaper he had quoted had got it wrong; the newspaper distanced itself from the issue, but Mr Modi has kept raking it up.
When the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement last week that no government money had been spent on the Congress President's overseas visits or on her medical treatment and that Mr Modi's figure of Rs 1,880 crore was "untrue and misleading", the Gujarat CM just got more combative and hit back saying the PM was "misguiding the country."
The Central Information Commissioner had also denied such reports on Mrs Gandhi's foreign travel expenses.
Gujarat is election bound and Mr Modi is on an aggressive campaign trail to ensure he returns for a third term. He timed his Sonia Gandhi allegation for just before the Congress president was to visit Gujarat to kick off her party's campaign. Mrs Gandhi has refused to engage with Mr Modi on the issue, but he continues to rake it up, despite the denials, in a clear bid to keep it in focus.
(With Inputs from PTI)