India will spend any amount on Sonia Gandhi illness, just give us the details: Narendra Modi

Remaining defiant on his stand, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today demanded that the government make public the expenditure incurred on Congress president Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips.

Addressing a gathering of youths here, Modi said that information sought under RTI about expenditure on Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips three years ago has not yet been provided.

"Three years ago, a youth from Hissar had asked the government to provide information about Gandhi's foreign trips and expenditure incurred thereon under RTI. Under (RTI) law, information should be provided in three months...but three years have passed and why the information is not being provided...when attempt is made to hide things then one feels something is fishy," Modi further said.

"I read in a newspaper that Rs 1,880 crore was spent on Soniaji's foreign trips...nearly Rs 2,000 crore, If you have to shut Modi's mouth, then make public details about Sonia Gandhi's foreign tours, from the time Manmohan Singh's government came to power in 2004, till now," Modi demanded.

"Under what arrangement she travelled....where did she stay....and if the expenditure...I have nothing to do with her personal life.... was borne by the national exchequer, then it is the right of people of this country that information about it should be made public," Modi said.

Modi had made the allegation about large expenditure on Gandhi's foreign trips yesterday and said it was based on a response given by the government to an RTI application of a youth from Hissar in Haryana that was published in a newspaper on July 12 this year.

However, the concerned youth Ramesh Sharma questioned the expenditure figures quoted by Modi and said he had not received any reply to his RTI query.

Later, Modi stated "I had said this thing based on a report in a newspaper. If my information is wrong, I will publicly accept the mistake."

... contd.

ALSO READ

Karnataka: 65% polling recorded, searing heat affects voter turnout

After high-pitch campaign, stage set for Karnataka polls tomorrow

Railways bribery case: UPA a govt of dealers, brokers and middlemen, says Oppn

Kapil Sibal's black humour: 'Laboratory for Corruption', 'Corruption Made Easy'