Sonia’s overseas visit not on government expense: PMO

It was a day of denials for the Congress party and its government in the Centre. While the party defended UPA chief  Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office denied that the government paid the travel and medical bills of Sonia, describing as “untrue and misleading” the `1,880-crore figure suggested by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The clarification from the PMO came after Modi raised the issue of Sonia’s foreign trips since 2004, saying that these had been paid by the government.

“The PMO would like to put on record that the government has incurred no expenses on UPA chairperson’s visits abroad,” the PMO said in a statement.

Before the statement was released, the PMO tweeted the clarification on Twitter.

“It is further clarified that the government has not borne any expenses for UPA chairperson’s medical treatment abroad and in India,” it said.

“The reports quoting an expense of Rs 1,880 crore are untrue and misleading,” it added.

Sonia has been frequently travelling abroad in the last year or so to undergo treatment for an undisclosed ailment, which remains a secret to date. The Congress has insisted that her health was a personal matter and would not be discussed in the public domain.

However, Modi sought the Central Government’s response to media reports about the money spent on her travels.