New Delhi:
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, working towards an election at the end of this year, today welcomed on Twitter the United Kingdom's decision to engage with Gujarat for business and investment opportunity.
"
Der Aaye Durusta Aaye," Mr Modi tweeted, meaning better late than never, ending it with "God is great". So far, the UK has no senior officials in Gandhinagar, even though it was upgrading official contacts in other states. Later in the day, he tweeted, "Getting many messages of pride & joy from Indian diaspora, especially Gujaratis in London & all over the world. Thanks for your affection!"
At a rally in the evening, Mr Modi told an applauding audience, "Today the British have understood the value of Gujarat. Whether the PM has understood or not, the UK has. Gujarat and Europe will work together and prosper."
In a release the UK's foreign office said, "(The UK government's decision) will allow us to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest and to explore opportunities for closer cooperation". The British High Commissioner to India has also been asked to meet Mr Modi in Gandhinagar.
The UK's decision to expand its presence in Gujarat will be seen as major diplomatic coup by Mr Modi, who has been isolated internationally after the 2002 riots. The US still doesn't grant a visa to Mr Modi.
A spokesperson of the UK foreign office told NDTV in London that the decision to engage more closely with Gujarat came "in view of the progress made with (riots) cases pending in the courts". Former Gujarat minister and close aide of Mr Modi, Maya Kodnani, was recently jailed for 28 years for her role in instigating the riots in the Naroda Patiya locality of Ahmedabad, in which more than 90 people died. The spokesperson however declined to comment on any travel ban to the UK on Mr Modi.
Till now, the UK has only had a small locally-staffed trade office in Ahmedabad. In May this year, the UK's foreign office had said, "Since the riots in 2002, in light of our concerns about human rights abuses which took place then, we have had no ministerial or senior official contact with senior political ranks of the Gujarat state government."
News agency AFP quoted a British High Commission source that previously, British officials were forbidden from dealing directly with Mr Modi, but there were contacts with senior bureaucrats in Gujarat, where British companies have invested.
The BJP said in New Delhi that Mr Modi "was never isolated. Many big companies are investing there. It is important that big country like UK now recognising that."
The UK government release though balanced its commercial interests with a reminder of the 2002 riots. It said that "we want to secure justice for the families of the British nationals who were killed in 2002. We want to support human rights and good governance in the state." Three British citizens had died in the riots.
"We also want to provide the best possible support for British nationals who live in, work in or visit Gujarat; and to the many Gujaratis who now make up one of the most successful and dynamic communities in the UK. As part of this government's commitment to strengthen relations with India, we have an interest in ensuring that we provide a full and consistent range of services across the whole country," the release said.
Human rights activists had been campaigning with the UK government to not allow Mr Modi into the country for his alleged role in the killing of more than 1,000 Muslims in the riots of 2002. There were protests against Mr Modi when he visited the UK in 2003 and a later visit was cancelled.
(
With inputs from agencies)