Modi also spoke before Britain’s House of Commons in Parliament on Thursday, had dinner at Cameron’s 16th-century Buckinghamshire mansion and Friday, was greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. “We will cross new frontiers of development”, Modi said.
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Modi announced resumption of a direct flight between London and Ahmedabad, simplification of the process concerning Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card and measures taken towards electronic travel authorisation and e-migration portal.
He said there can not be a greater contradiction between what the government does and what the prime minister has said.
Speaking at a news conference in London alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron, Modi said he would not risk telling Britons how to vote but instead extolled the benefits to India of Britain’s presence within the 28-member bloc.
Modi said economic ties are extremely important elements of the relationship between countries.
âHer Majesty the Queen with PM @narendramodi at Buckingham Palace, â the Prime Minister’s Office India tweeted.
When asked to Mr Cameron’s about the issue, he said: “There was a lot of understanding and appreciation”.
Cameron has said trade deals worth £9 billion (12.7 billion euros/$13.7 billion) would be sealed during the visit.
According to the organisers, Europe India Forum, Modi’s speech will be followed by the largest ever fireworks display in Britain as the event coincided with the Indian festival lights, Diwali. Modi closes his speech asking the crowed to slogan Bharat Matha Ki Jai.
The show of political strength, three times the size of a similar event held in NY a year ago, masks growing dissent in India, where an internal rebellion has punctured Modi’s aura of invincibility. British officials severed contact with Modi for a decade over accusations that he failed to stop riots that killed more than 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, during his time as a state governor.
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But, for the crowd in London who filled out a stadium more often used for soccer matches and pop concerts than political speakers, Modi remained a huge draw.
