BY LUCY CAULKETT
Indian Prime Minister, Modi will receive the welcome of an icon when he touches Britain tomorrow. He is scheduled to have lunch with the Queen, visit the Mahatma Ghandi statute in Parliament Square, deliver a joint session at Parliament with David Cameron, and attend a special event for British Indians after a rally that will be marked by one of the largest fireworks displays witnessed in the UK. Special modi express buses are on standby to transport the countless numbers of British Indians expected to attend the rally. He will also be unveiling a statue of the 12th century philosopher Basaveshwara, as well as inaugurating the Ambedkar House museum in north London.
The Indian prime Minister will receive a rapturous welcome by thousands of adoring fans, most of whom view him as a modern improvement of his predecessors, with his focus on economic growth. His visit is expected to ignite deals in the region of 10 billion pounds-one that certainly gets the saliva of the prime minister rolling.
It will be the first trip made by an Indian prime minister to the UK in almost a decade and is poised to generate up to 10 billions pounds in trade and investment deals. The controversial prime minister who also held a rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden, is also unveiling a statute of the 12th century philosopher Basaveshwara, as well as inaugurating the Ambedkar house museum in North London. Meanwhile, a planned protest against his regime which is charged with executing human rights abuses that has allegedly included killings of minority groups in his country will stain his visit to some extent
Modi is also facing a revolt by senior leaders in his nationalist party who are discontent with his leadership. His right wing party were defeated in the most recent elections to a coalition of socialist groups, which many see as a reflection of the wide repulsion towards a high level of mayem and religious intolerance in the country. His visit may indeed be welcomed by thousands of British Indians, but it should also be seen as an opportunity for the British government and campaigners too, to speak out and condemn any human rights abuses condoned or committed by Modi’s government.
