‘Congress wanted him to be India’s President..' BJP targets Yashwant Sinha on his ‘Papua New Guinea’ tweet
2 min read . Updated: 23 May 2023, 11:27 AM IST
PremiumPrime Minister Narendra Modi is on his three-nation visit. The treatment he received in Papua New Guinea was applauded across the nation. Back at home, BJP National spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticised Yashwant Sinha's ‘Papua New Guinea’ tweet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation tour reached to its last phase as he arrived in Sydney on Sunday. Back at home, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha faced sharp criticism over his comments on PM Modi's Papua New Guinea visit. He was targeted by the BJP spokesperson for his comments on PM Modi.
BJP Spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday, wondered if Sinha was the presidential candidate of the opposition parties against Droupadi Murmu.
"Congress wanted him to become President of India! Imagine," tweeted Shehzad Poonawalla along with sharing the screenshot of Yashwant Sinha's tweet.
In his tweet, Sinha had proposed his idea of contesting his next Lok Sabha election from Papua New Guinea on the Modi ticket.
"I plan to contest my next Lok Sabha election from Papua New Guinea on a Modi ticket which I hope he will give," he said. The comment comes as PM Modi was in Papua New Guinea on his maiden visit to host a key summit between India and 14 island countries. While hosting an Indian Prime Minister for the first time, the Indo-Pacific country made an exception according to a ceremonial welcome to the leader after sunset. Generally, Papua New Guinea doesn't accord a ceremonial welcome to any leader coming to the nation after sunset.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape showed his respect to PM Modi by touching his feet on his arrival. His gesture won applause from Indians on the internet. During his visit, Papua New Guinea conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu. The honour has been received by very few non-residents of the nation. The award was conferred to him for encouraging the cause of unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of the Global South.
In his address, Marape called PM Modi the leader of the Global South. "We are victims of global powerplay... You (PM Modi) are the leader of Global South. We will rally behind your (India) leadership at global forums," said Marape. While addressing the forum, PM Modi said that for him the Pacific island nations are "large ocean countries and not small island states".