Septermber 30, 2012
New Delhi: The UPA government spent over Rs 28 lakh on a bash to celebrate its third anniversary. The Rs 7,700-a-head dinner comes at a time when the government has announced austerity measures. Incidentally, the UPA-2 had stipulated that Rs 28 per day is sufficient to keep a person out of poverty.
Septermber 30, 2012
New Delhi: The UPA government spent over Rs 28 lakh on a bash to celebrate its third anniversary. The Rs 7,700-a-head dinner comes at a time when the government has announced austerity measures. Incidentally, the UPA-2 had stipulated that Rs 28 per day is sufficient to keep a person out of poverty.
Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi at the UPA-II 3rd Anniversary Lavish Dinner Party at Rs.7700 per head
The dinner, hosted on May 22 at 7, Race Course Road, was attended by 375 guests, including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of Parliament, leaders of political parties, members of the Congress Working Committee and media persons. Hosted by PM Manmohan Singh, prominent on the guest list were Congress president Sonia Gandhi, senior leaders from the BJP, Samajwadi Party and Left parties.
According to information accessed through RTI filed by Hisar-based applicant Ramesh Verma, the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO) spent Rs 28,95,503 for the event. Of this, Rs 11.34 lakh was the catering charge, Rs 14.42 lakh was spent on tentage, Rs 2.92 lakh on electricity and Rs 24,444 on flowers.
The menu included jhinga kasundi, gosht burrah kebab, fish malabari, chicken chettinad, baghare baingan, dum aloo kashmiri, beans gajar matar, keoti dal, biryani and a bread basket.
The RTI response also said 603 invitation cards were issued and 375 guests attended the evening soiree. While the food and tent charges were paid through the hospitality grant of the ministry of external affairs, the tab for electricity and flower arrangements was picked up by CPWD.
Congress Party's Response Video Defending the PM's Lavish Dinner Bash
This is not the sole example of the UPA government's lavish spending. The Planning Commission was recently in the headlines for spending Rs 35 lakh on a toilet while a recent RTI plea by activist S C Agrawal revealed that Union ministers had spent 12 times more on their travel than the preceding year, running up a bill of over Rs 678 crore in tour expenses.
Courtesy: TOI
