Centre slams Bhagwant Mann's remarks on PM Modi's foreign visits

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that PM Modi visited countries with a population of 10,000 and received their biggest awards, NDTV reported.

Bhagwant Mann was referencing PM Modi’s five-nation tour, visiting Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia between July 2 and 9.

Following Punjab Chief Minister’s remarks, the Ministry of External Affairs, without taking his name, said it did not behoove a person holding high position to make such statements.

Bhagwant Mann told press conference in Hindi that PM Modi had visited Ghana, adding ‘Oh, he will be back today? We will welcome him. God knows which countries he has been visiting: 'Magnesia', 'Galvesia', 'Tarvesia'. He is not staying in a country which has 140 crore people’.

Referencing the highest civilian awards that PM Modi received in these countries, Mann said ‘He is visiting countries which have a population of 10,000 and he is getting the biggest awards there’.

Belittling the importance of the countries that PM Modi recently visited, Mann said 10,000 people would gather to watch a JCB working in India, ‘What has he gotten himself into?’

PM Modi’s five-nation tour was aimed at strengthening India's ties with nations in the Global South, which become India’s top diplomatic priority.

The Ministry of External Affairs made it clear, apparently responding to Mann, that the remarks made by a ‘high state authority’ were ‘irresponsible’, adding that they undermined India's relationships with friendly countries.

The ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said ‘We have seen some comments made by a high state authority about India's relations with friendly countries from the Global South. These remarks are irresponsible and regrettable and do not behove the state authority.’

The ministry spokesperson stated that the Government of India ‘dissociates itself from such unwarranted comments that undermine India's ties with friendly countries’.