[1]The UK government sought to begin a new chapter in its ties with the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government with its High Commissioner in India, Sir James Bevan, meeting the Chief Minister for a little less than an hour on Monday.
However, when asked if his country now endorses the Gujarat CM, the British envoy responded saying it was re-engagement and not endorsement.
A pleased Modi tweeted, “Had a great meeting with UK high commissioner, Sir James Bevan, to strengthen Guj-UK ties in economic & social sectors.”
The Gujarat government issued a detailed press release describing the discussions as “fruitful”.
The discussions come after a decade-long boycott of Modi by the UK government following the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat under his tenure as CM that left over 1,000 persons dead.
Business and economic interests prompted the UK government to announce a few days ago its decision to reengage with Modi.
Asked if this meant Modi’s rehabilitation, Sir James replied, “I don’t agree with your perception that we are rehabilitating Modi. This engagement is not about endorsement. If we need to engage with some state, we need to engage with the Chief Minister and Modi is the democratically elected leader of Gujarat.”
The decision to end Modi’s boycott by the UK government has come at a politically opportune moment for Modi who will be leading his party for the third time in the Assembly polls slated for December.
The UK, in turn, is looking for investment and business opportunities in a state that has been faring well on the economic front.
Modi was quick in extending an invitation to the British envoy seeking the participation of a high-level delegation from his country in the state’s Global Investors Summit 2013.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/modiuk650jpgcropdisplayjpg-280