Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign tours and the awards he receives during them by saying that more people gather to watch a JCB machine than the total population of some of the countries where he has received top honours.

He also criticised the Prime Minister for not holding a press conference during the eleven years he has been in office.

Mann added that even though the Prime Minister finds time to visit other countries, he "fails" to take note of the concerns of 140 crore people in India. The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday responded by calling his remarks "irresponsible".

He told, "Don't know which countries he visits. Now he has visited, I don't know, Magneshia. (But) He is not residing in the nation where 140 crore people reside. The nations which he is visiting are populated with 15,000. And he received the largest awards there. Here, 15,000 people come to see the JCB machine (earth-moving machine)."

The Punjab chief minister also repeated his criticism that the Prime Minister has not addressed the media through a press conference in his eleven years in power.

He also said, "He has not addressed a single press conference in 11 years," while carrying on his attack against the Prime Minister.

In response, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on Thursday criticising Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s comments on the Prime Minister’s international visits. Although the statement did not mention him by name, the ministry said that the Government of India "dissociates" from the "unwarranted" remarks of a "high state authority" which it said could harm India’s relations with friendly nations.

Prime Minister Modi returned to India on Thursday after completing a week-long visit to five countries including Brazil, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, and Namibia. During this tour, he received the highest civilian honour from Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and Namibia. He also took part in the BRICS summit in Brazil along with holding bilateral meetings in the other countries.