'Ties with Guj in national interest of UK'

British High Commissioner to India, James Bevan, says his govt wants to re-engage with the state on wide range of issues

Denying any deal or endorsement involved in engagement with Narendra Modi led Gujarat government, British High Commissioner to India, James Bevan on Monday said that enhancing ties with the state was in national interest of the UK.

He further said that UK's re-engagement was with Gujarat state and its government and not with an individual. When asked to explain rational about his government re-establishing ties with Modi ruled state after over a decade, he said that Gujarat has prospered over the last 10 years and has become an important state of India.

"We have not come here to trade off. We have decided to engage with Gujarat government as we thing it is interest of the UK. There is no deal, no negotiations. We took this decision on our own because we think it is in Britain's interest," Bevan said while answering a question about the purpose of re-engaging with Gujarat.

 

" I do not accept the premises of your question that we are 'rehabilitating' Modi. This is about engagement and not about endorsement. If you want to engage tactfully with an Indian state you need to engage with the government of the state, its chief minister and Modi is the democratically elected leader of Gujarat," the British High Commissioner added. Following the 2002 riots the UK had decreased engagements with the Gujarat government as number of allegations of human rights violations were made against the Modi government.

Earlier this month the minister of state for Foreign Office, United Kingdom had asked the British High Commissioner in India to meet with Gujarat Chief Minister to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest and to explore opportunities for closer cooperation, for improving bilateral relations with India. It was with this purpose that Bevan met Modi on Monday in Gandhinagar. They discussed wide range of issues and talked about prospects for Gujarat and the role that UK can play in helping ensure that the state continues to thrive. "We agreed that there is scope to develop cooperation between the UK and Gujarat across broad range of fields like education, science and innovation, energy, climate change, trade and investment," Bevan said addressing a press meet in Ahmedabad.

Explaining the re-engagement with Gujarat government Bevan said, "2002 was 10 years ago. In those 10 years, quite a few things have happened. In 2010 the UK government took decision to deepen ties with India and this was not possible without having relations with an important state like Gujarat." He said that Gujarat has grown over the decade, also the legal process with regard to the 2002 riot cases have moved forward and brought in conviction, which also included a former member of the ruling government.

When asked if the re-engagement meant that Modi would get visa for UK, Bevan said, "That is a hypothetical question. He hasn't asked for one, and if he does ask for one, we will deal with it in normal way. Which is to look into each application on its merits. And decide on case to case basis in light of the relevant circumstances at that time."

He also said that the timing of his visit to Gujarat had nothing to do with assembly polls in the state and they were not taking any political sides.