'Touring' India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign trips have become the stuff of jokes. Addressing the media this week, Opposition Congress spokesperson Pramod Tiwari spoke of the "prime minister who is now on a trip to India". When puzzled journalists quizzed him, a smug Tiwari said: "We are indeed fortunate that the PM is on a tour of India. Perhaps he could now get to see first-hand the plight of the common man, with dal prices soaring to Rs 200 a kilo. Maybe he would also understand the burning issue of farmer suicides and farmer distress." The sarcasm was not lost on his audience.