PM Modi unlikely to make foreign visits ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections: Report

The Prime Minister’s most recent foreign visits were to Japan in October, Singapore (for events related to the Asean Summit), the Maldives (for President Ibrahim Solih’s swearing-in) and Argentina (for the G20 Summit) in November.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi - (Image: PTI Photo)

New Delhi: With the 2019 Lok Sabha elections just four months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to make any foreign visits in the early part of next year in order to focus on national issues ahead of the general elections, senior government officials familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity. According to The Hindustan Times, the officials have made sure that the PM has no crucial global meetings scheduled in the first quarter of 2019. In addition to discharging his prime ministerial responsibilities, Modi shall also serve as the star campaigner of the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party which had established itself as a formidable force in the political landscape courtesy a spree of assembly election wins has faced major reversals in the recent elections held in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Modi will also participate in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations in Varanasi during January 21-23. The Prime Minister’s most recent foreign visits were to Japan in October, Singapore (for events related to the Asean Summit), the Maldives (for President Ibrahim Solih’s swearing-in) and Argentina (for the G20 Summit) in November. The BJP has faced huge criticism of the Opposition over PM Modi’s foreign trips. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has attacked the Prime Minister on several ocassons saying that most of the times he is travelling abraod and does not pay heed to critical domestic issues. Earlier in July, the government had revealed the details of PM Modi’s foreign trips. According Minister VK Singh, PM Modi had visited 84 nations in last four years. These trips had cost Rs 1,484 crore to the national exchequer. According to the data presented by Singh in the Rajya Sabha, a total of Rs 1088.42 crore was spent on maintenance of the prime minister's aircraft and Rs 387.26 crore on chartered flights during the period between June 15, 2014 and June 10, 2018. The total expenditure on hotline was Rs 9.12 crore.