US ambassador meets Modi

US Ambassador Nancy Powell Thursday met Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi in the state capital here.

The meeting between the US envoy and Modi, widely regarded as a strong contender for the prime minister's post, marks a change in stance of the US which had denied the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader a visa in 2005 over the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Powell was presented a bouquet of roses by Modi, after which she and her aides held a meeting with him.

The meeting had been facilitated by the external affairs ministry, which had received a request to arrange for the meeting some time ago.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said earlier that the US embassy had requested for the meeting "quite some time ago" with Modi and the ministry had facilitated it.

The US revoked Modi's visa in 2005 under a law barring entry of foreign officials seen as responsible for "severe violations of religious freedom". He has not applied for a US visa since then.

Since Modi's emergence as a national leader, the US business lobby has reached out to him. Three Republican lawmakers accompanied a US business delegation that met him in Ahmedabad last year. A senior US diplomat also attended that meeting.

On the issue of granting Modi a visa, the State Department has said that the BJP leader was "welcome to apply for a visa and await a review like any other applicant".

The US has indicated it is ready to do business with any government that emerges from India's upcoming general election.

The US and India have forged friendly ties with bilateral trade close to $100 billion. Among Western envoys who have met Modi are German Ambassador Michael Steiner and British High Commissioner James Bevan. The European Union was the first to end Modi's boycott.