UK PM Boris Johnson to begin two-day India trip with roadshow in Gujarat

Meeting with Gautam Adani, private dinner hosted by Johnson on the cards

Beginning his two-day India trip from Gujarat on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is likely to take out a roadshow from the airport to his hotel in the morning sans Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the order of events could not be confirmed, sources stated that Johnson, the first British PM to visit Modi's home state, might be meeting Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and might also host a private dinner later in the day for the who's who of Gujarat industry before heading for Delhi.

Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel is set to welcome Johnson at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) on Thursday morning, followed by a visit to Sabarmati Ashram. As is the tradition, Johnson will be visiting Mahatma Gandhi's personal chambers and try his hand at spinning the 'charkha'. Other heads of nations such as Japan's Shinzo Abe, China's Xi Jinping, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Canada's Justin Trudeau too have visited the Ashram.

Among other things, accompanied by government and business delegates like JCB chairman The Lord Bamford DL, Johnson is also likely to travel to Vadodara for the launch of JCB's exports-focused plant at Halol.

Like Trudeau, Johnson is also likely to make a trip to Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar even as the state government confirmed his visit to the Gujarat Biotechnology University which is being set up at a project cost of Rs 200 crore at GIFT City.

According to a Gujarat government statement on Thursday, Patel along with state education minister Jitubhai Vaghani would be accompanying Johnson to the university where the British Prime Minister will be interacting with experts, lab technicians and faculty during his visit to GBU. "Johnson's visit to the university is focused on co-operation between the two nations in the areas of education, health and technology," the statement read.

By Wednesday afternoon, welcome banners featuring Johnson flanked by Modi and Patel were up across major stretches in Ahmedabad where his cavalcade will pass through.

Meanwhile, confirming his visit to India, Johnson said on Sunday that it was "vital" for democracies and friends to stick together amid threats to their peace and prosperity from "autocratic states".