External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday replied to Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain while stating that Union ministers do attend events organised by ‘Overseas Friends of the BJP’, a group affiliated to the party.
While, during their official foreign trips, as the meeting members of the diaspora as considered as a part of “our tradition”.
Earlier, Hussain questioned Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha regarding asking that the Union ministers have made 220 foreign trips from the time period between November, 2020 to November 2023. After the questions laid by Hussain, Jaishankar was again asked by Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale if the ministers used to attend the meetings and events of the Overseas Friends of the BJP.
“I am very confident that many ministers would have attended such functions. I have myself done so. And the reason why we have done so is, when we go abroad, we meet members of the Indian community. It is part of our tradition. The (Narendra Modi) Modi government values the Indian diaspora. We know that they make an enormous contribution to the image and to the profile that India has today,” Jaishankar replied.
He also added that the government treated all members with respect. “If members of the community happen to belong to a political party or have political affiliations, that is a fact of life. Primary purpose for which ministers go is official business. Ministers discharge their official responsibility fully satisfactorily and it is visible in the results of the foreign policy,” he added.
