British MPs invite Narendra Modi to speak on 'The Future of Modern India'

Narendra Modi, the Indian nationalist leader tipped to be the country's next prime minister, has been invited to speak to British MPs on his vision for India's future.

Until last year Mr Modi, chief minister of India's Gujarat state and a senior leader of the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, was shunned by the British Government and banned from entering the United States because of concerns over his role during the 2002 massacre of Muslims in his state.

               Modi is a divisive figure in India, his popularity has steadily grown in response to rapid development in Gujarat and his reputation for good governance.

His landslide re-election victory in Gujarat last year propelled him to the head of his party's campaign for next year's general election, and its expected candidate to be India's next prime minister.

                  Last year, Britain's High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, signalled a u-turn in Britain's relations with Gujarat by meeting Mr Modi in Ahmedabad, the state capital.

His international rehabilitation took another step forward last week when Conservative and Labour 'Friends of India' groups at Westminster sent invitations for him to visit Westminster and speak to their MPs.

                        Siddarth Nath Singh, a fellow BJP leader, said the invitations marked a recognition that the West had made a mistake in shunning Mr Modi earlier.

                                                             "The West has accepted the growing clout and popularity of Narendra Modi and are trying to correct the mistake done by them some years ago by barring Modi from visiting their countries," he said.

                       "Modi has never applied for a visa to any Western country and it's them, who have understood that Modi could be the next Indian prime minister.

                                                               Businessmen in the West have seen the kind of development in Gujarat and have no choice but to engage with Modi. It's up to Modi to accept or reject the invitation," he added.

                        Mr Modi has yet to accept the invitations, but he voiced his gratitude on Wednesday and said he was "thankful to British MPs for their invites in the spirit of dialogue and engagement."