US business is ready to apply for Modi visa: BJP

Tarun Vijay said BJP-led NDA government would create an investment friendly environment

A BJP-led NDA government would be "stronger, decisive, transparent and predictable" and it would create an investment friendly environment, according to a senior party leader.

"Restructuring, rejuvenating and re-strengthening the Indian economy will be the top priority of the NDA government," BJP national spokesperson Tarun Vijay told PTI.

Vijay, who was invited by the Overseas Friends of the BJP to be the chief guest at the BJP Foundation Day events in Tampa and Florida, held a series of meetings here including those with corporate sector organised by the US India Business Council and think-tanks.

In addition to meeting some US officials, he also met several lawmakers including Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera.

"The US business is ready to apply for (Narendra) Modi visa. I told them that India's new government, as our manifesto has said, would be economy driven government," he said.

"Our priority would be to get more investment and more power to the manufacturing sector. More investment in the infrastructure sector. Strengthening our industrial and trade policies. Strengthening small and medium enterprises. Barring FDI in retail, we would be very happy to invite investment in the core sectors," he told the American businesses.

"One thing would be guaranteed there will be transparency, no corruption, predictability and nothing like retrospective policies on taxation," Vijay assured them.

"It will be investment friendly environment in the new government," he said, adding that he got a very positive feedback from the American business communities here.

"They (USIBC members) clapped and they told me that they look forward working with Modi because all these years what they had been wanting is a predictable and a transparent government," Vijay said.

During his meeting with members of the US think-tank community, he was asked a plethora of questions on Gujarat, minority, human rights and social issues, besides economy.

"I told them that the new government is all for the people of India. They (the US) will accept the mandate of the people of India. And there is no hesitation and there are no preset opinions about working with Modi. They assured us. The think tanks and business people are hopeful that the new government will bring happier times not only for India but also in the bilateral relations," Vijay said.

Modi's visa issue did pop up during the meeting, he said.

"I said this is for the US to decide. He (Modi) never applied for visa. This is their (American) problem and this is their baggage. This is not our baggage. All our idea is that both the great democracies must work strategically, but on equal terms," he said.

"This is not an India of yesteryears, which they may find sometimes yielding, sometimes compromising. This is much stronger India to deal with and this is for them to formulate its policy to deal with this India," he said.