He sat down for delegation level talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10, Downing Street in London.
Advertisement
Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Britain in nearly a decade on Thursday, with both sides hoping to seal a number of business deals worth “billions of pounds” during his stay.
On his part, Cameron said that as the oldest and largest democracies, India and Britain were natural partners.
Cameron’s office said Britain would seek to promote London as a centre for offshore rupee bonds and Indian companies were expected to announce plans to issue debt denominated in their own currency. He had said that boosting economic ties will be a major focus area, besides enhancing ties in defence and clean energy sector. Indian and British scientists will work together in a new £10 million research collaboration into low-cost, low-carbon energy sources for the smart cities.
Others point out that there is a growing diplomatic imbalance in India’s relationship with the UK.
On Friday, Mr Modi will speak, mainly in Hindi, to a few 60,000 people expected at the Wembley event, which is expected to be a celebration of the Indian diaspora’s contribution to the British economy.
But protests are planned outside Downing Street with opponents dressing all in white, the colour of mourning in India.
The demonstrators held up banners with messages such as “Modi you are killing Indian democracy” and “Stop religious persecution in India”. Roads around Westminster were closed off and helicopters circled overhead.
His trip comes at an unsettled time back home where his Hindu-nationalist party lost a recent regional election.
The Prime Minister said that everyone wishes to spend Diwali with his or her family, and therefore, just as he had visited Siachen last year, he has chosen to spend Diwali with the officers and jawans of the Armed Forces this year as well.
Advertisement
“Prime Minister Cameron is a good friend of India’s, and we in India have had the privilege of welcoming him thrice during his first term as Prime Minister”, Modi wrote in a Facebook post ahead of the visit.
