NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh polls have kept Prime Minister Narendra Modi so busy that he has not embarked on a foreign tour since November 2016. His first travel abroad this year is expected in June, to Moscow.
This huge gap is at odds with his initial whirlwind trips across the globe.
After that his next big trip will be to Israel. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country bringing India’s stand on the controversial Israel-Palestine issue to the fore.
In 2016, Modi visited 18 countries—more than one every month. In 2015, the figure was 27, amounting to more than twice a month.
After assuming power in June 2014, he travelled 10 times abroad; more than once in six months—a total of 55 foreign visits since he took over.
Modi will be attending the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia in June this year.