There have been recent allegations circulating in political circles regarding the expenses for the G-20 conference in Delhi. A key member of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, Saket Gokhale, has questioned the budget’s openness.
According to Saket Gokhale’s public remarks, the 990 crore initial budget ballooned to 4,100 crore. He claimed that this increase in spending was done to improve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation in advance of the 2024 Assembly Elections.
“Why shouldn’t BJP be made to pay this extra ₹3110 cr since it was clearly non-essential spending purely for Modi’s self-advertisement & personal PR for 2024 elections?” Gokhale questioned on X (formerly Twitter).
The Congress party, however, accused PM Modi of milking the occasion to raise his public profile.
“To boost his image before the Lok Sabha election, PM Modi paid additional money to have his posters put up. The silver and gold-plated tableware was part of the extravagant arrangements PM Modi made for the guests while concealing the city’s impoverished, according to the Congress film.
However, these claims have been refuted by the government’s fact-checking unit from the Press Information Bureau (PIB). According to PIB, the spending comprised investments in long-term infrastructure and assets in addition to Summit-related expenses.
The two-day event, which wrapped up on September 10, marked the end of India’s presidency year for the G-20. The Summit garnered a unanimous agreement on the New Delhi leaders’ declaration, confirming its success.
Nevertheless, Gokhale complained about the venue’s infrastructure on social media on the second day of the Summit. The charges were refuted by PIB, which said that minor waterlogging was caused by rain but was quickly dealt with.
