Modi welcome to visit US, says White House

Reaching out to Narendra Modi after his landslide electoral win, the Obama Administration tonight said the prime minister-elect is welcome to visit the US, which has denied him visa since 2005 in the wake the Gujarat riots.
Hours after the results of the elections were out, the White House exuded confidence that the India-US relationship under a Modi Government would make further progress.
"We congratulate Narendra Modi and the BJP on winning a majority of seats in this historic election. Once the government is formed, we look forward to working closely with the prime minister and the Cabinet to advance our strong bilateral relationship based on shared democratic values," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily news conference.

"The prime minister of India will be welcomed to the US," he said.
In 2005, the US State Department had revoked a visa that Modi had for travelling to the US on the ground of alleged human rights violations after the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The US has repeatedly said there is no change in its long-standing visa policy relating to Modi but he is free to apply for a visa and await a review like any other applicant.
However, in a sudden u-turn in February, the US signalled the end of its boycott of Modi when its ambassador to India Nancy Powell met him in Ahmedabad.