Online petition seeks to stop Modi's visit to Britain

The British government has been urged by campaigners in Britain to stop Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country and address MPs in the House of Commons.

Kalpana Wilson, of the South Asian Solidarity Group, strongly disagreed with the invitation.

She said that the government has invited somebody to address the House of Commons who was responsible for genocidal attacks in which more than two thousand people of the Muslim minority community in Gujarat were targeted for the most horrendous forms of violence and were murdered.

According to the BBC, she said that women and children were particularly targeted, and this is something which South Asian communities in Britain simply are not able to forget.

Wilson added that they were not prepared to see Modi being rehabilitated as a respectable leading politician, which is what this invitation seems to suggest.

Tory and Labour MPs have defended their decision to invite Modi to speak, saying he needs to be heard.

According to the report, He has overseen significant economic growth as chief minister of the state of Gujarat, but regarded by his critics as failing to intervene in communal violence in the area 11 years ago.

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, has defended the invitation to the politician to address MPs on the future of modern India, the report added.