Britain on Thursday became the first European country to invite Narendra Modi to visit the country after his resounding victory in the lok Sabha polls, nearly two years after it had ended a decade-long boycott of the BJP leader in the wake of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
BJP’s prime minister-designate accepted British Prime Minister David Cameron’s invitation to visit the UK when the latter called Modi to felicitate him on his party’s victory.“The Prime Minister called Narendra Modi this morning to congratulate him on his victory in the Indian elections and the record turnout, making this the biggest democratic election in history,” a 10 Downing Street spokesperson said.
“Modi said he would be delighted to accept the Prime Minister’s invitation to visit the UK. Both leaders agreed on the importance of the UK-India relationship and agreed to work together to strengthen it in the months ahead,” she added.The UK nearly froze all ties with Modi after the 2002 Gujarat riots. But it ended its decade-long boycott in October 2012 when its high commissioner to India James Bevan met Modi to mark a "cordial beginning" to fresh ties.