CM flouting foreign travel ‘ban’: Khaira

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 22

Leader of the Opposition Sukhpal Khaira said today that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was setting a wrong precedent by undertaking a foreign tour less than six months after assuming office.

“The Congress had mentioned in its election manifesto that all ministers, MLAs and officials would not go abroad at the state government’s expense during the first two years. The Chief Minister seems to have forgotten this pre-poll promise,” Khaira said.

Capt Amarinder will lead a delegation of officials, farmers and industrialists for WATEC-2017, a conference being hosted by Israel from September 13 to 16.

“Trips by then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to Israel during the Akali-BJP rule didn’t yield much,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader added.

The two-year foreign travel ‘ban’, aimed at cutting government expenditure, has a rider. Overseas trips can be undertaken “in cases where it is so mandated or provided under any bilateral arrangement or agreement”.

Raveen Thukral, media adviser to the CM, said: “During a recent meeting, Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon invited Capt Amarinder to visit his country. Punjab is keen to use Israeli expertise to promote horticulture, dairy farming, bee-keeping, irrigation and water conservation.”