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MEA defends Patil's foreign trip with kin
Taking family members along as part of her official entourage not only on foreign visits but during domestic tours as well has been a usual practice for President Pratibha Patil — unlike the “occasional” and “normal diplomatic process”.
Under fire for taking along grandchildren on her ongoing official trip to Seychelles and South Africa, the Government on Wednesday jumped to the President’s defence saying, “It is normal diplomatic practice that a visiting dignitary occasionally takes members of his/her family on visiting trips.”
“Hospitality for such visiting dignitaries in such cases is usually provided by the host Government. It is not abnormal,” official spokesperson in MEA Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.
However, information available under Right to Information (RTI) Act on an application by activist SC Aggarwal on President Patil’s tours in two years alone — 2009 and 2010 — has revealed that her family members, ranging between two to eight members, accompanied her on 12 of her visits.
Of these, three were foreign trips to Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and China. Out of the remaining nine trips undertaken within India, three trips were to Maharashtra, the home State of Patil. On one trip her two children accompanied her (February 7-9, 2009), followed by another where her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were present (June 27-30, 2009), and one on February 27, 2010 in which her grandchildren along with daughter’s family came along.
When it came to foreign trips, Patil took her son, granddaughter and grandson on her trip to Spain and Poland from April 20-27, 2009. Her next official foreign trip the same year was to the UK and Cyprus, where she was accompanied by her son. In May 2010, her significant trip to China saw the presence of her son-in-law and grandson along with the official delegation.
Her domestic visits had one thing spectacularly standing out. The family members were mostly in attendance during President’s official visits to exotic destinations. This explained the reasons why President’s son, his wife and two children, daughter, her husband and two children accompanied her on her visit to Lakshadweep (Agatti, Kavaratti and Bangaram Island) and Kerala (Kochi) from December 23-28, 2009 and again to Rajasthan (Deshnoke, Jaisalmer and Pokhran) on February 28, 2010.
On her trips to pilgrimage centres, either the son or daughter’s family accompanied the President along with the official team. This included her May 7, 2009 trip to Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh), home to Saibaba, where her daughter’s family came along; July 4-5, 2009 trip to Badrinath (Uttarakhand) where her son, daughter and daughter-in-law were present.
As things stand, the President’s foreign trips, since she assumed office in 2007, has already cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 205 crore.
Taking family members along as part of her official entourage not only on foreign visits but during domestic tours as well has been a usual practice for President Pratibha Patil — unlike the “occasional” and “normal diplomatic process”.
Under fire for taking along grandchildren on her ongoing official trip to Seychelles and South Africa, the Government on Wednesday jumped to the President’s defence saying, “It is normal diplomatic practice that a visiting dignitary occasionally takes members of his/her family on visiting trips.”
“Hospitality for such visiting dignitaries in such cases is usually provided by the host Government. It is not abnormal,” official spokesperson in MEA Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.
However, information available under Right to Information (RTI) Act on an application by activist SC Aggarwal on President Patil’s tours in two years alone — 2009 and 2010 — has revealed that her family members, ranging between two to eight members, accompanied her on 12 of her visits.
Of these, three were foreign trips to Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and China. Out of the remaining nine trips undertaken within India, three trips were to Maharashtra, the home State of Patil. On one trip her two children accompanied her (February 7-9, 2009), followed by another where her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were present (June 27-30, 2009), and one on February 27, 2010 in which her grandchildren along with daughter’s family came along.
When it came to foreign trips, Patil took her son, granddaughter and grandson on her trip to Spain and Poland from April 20-27, 2009. Her next official foreign trip the same year was to the UK and Cyprus, where she was accompanied by her son. In May 2010, her significant trip to China saw the presence of her son-in-law and grandson along with the official delegation.
Her domestic visits had one thing spectacularly standing out. The family members were mostly in attendance during President’s official visits to exotic destinations. This explained the reasons why President’s son, his wife and two children, daughter, her husband and two children accompanied her on her visit to Lakshadweep (Agatti, Kavaratti and Bangaram Island) and Kerala (Kochi) from December 23-28, 2009 and again to Rajasthan (Deshnoke, Jaisalmer and Pokhran) on February 28, 2010.
On her trips to pilgrimage centres, either the son or daughter’s family accompanied the President along with the official team. This included her May 7, 2009 trip to Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh), home to Saibaba, where her daughter’s family came along; July 4-5, 2009 trip to Badrinath (Uttarakhand) where her son, daughter and daughter-in-law were present.
As things stand, the President’s foreign trips, since she assumed office in 2007, has already cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 205 crore.
