Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 4
The UAE has conferred its highest civilian award on PM Narendra Modi, but there is a question mark over his plans to visit Abu Dhabi for a felicitation ceremony in the middle of polls.
The award would have been one more milestone as a consequence of the current government’s endeavour to broad-base ties with Arab countries but for the fact that there are reports of a temple-inauguration being clubbed with the ceremony.
The Ministry of External Affairs was ambiguous about the PM’s plan to take a break from electioneering to visit the UAE. Had the temple been completed by February, a Modi visit would have been a cut-and-dry affair but with the model code of conduct kicking in, it is uncertain how the Election Commission would perceive the visit. The PM was recently given a clean chit by an especially constituted Election Commission panel after he addressed the nation on the anti-satellite test while the model code of conduct was in force.
The foundation stone for the temple, the first in the UAE and the second known instance of one in the Arab world, was laid by the PM last year with the expectation that it would be ready for inauguration before the elections were announced.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2G13IFY
via Today’s News Headlines
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