New Delhi, March 25
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today refuted news stories suggesting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had telephoned Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to ask him not to undertake visit to Britain. The PMO said that in fact it was the latter who informed him about cancellation of his trip on the advice of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
“The Prime Minister did not call up Modi. It was the Home Minister (Shivraj Patil) who did so,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman Sanjaya Baru said.
Mr Modi, after accepting Mr Patil’s advice, called up the Prime Minister to inform him about cancellation of his three-day trip which was to begin today.
Mr Baru said Mr Patil told Mr Modi that since he was going on a private visit, the British Government had made it clear that it could not provide ‘official’ security to him.
“Demonstrations are going to take place (against Mr Modi in London) and there could be threat to his (Modi’s) life,” Mr Baru said, adding Mr Patil told the Chief Minister to “think about it and then decide”.
A Gujarat Government release last night said that Mr Modi decided to cancel his visit after the Prime Minister and Mr Patil telephoned him at 10.30 pm and persuaded him not to leave for London.
Mr Baru denied any information about a terrorist threat to Mr Modi in Britain but said there was a possibility of ‘some problem’ because of demonstrations.
The PMO spokesman said the Prime Minister had spoken to BJP President L.K. Advani in this regard.
“After considering the Home Minister’s advice, Mr Modi himself called up the Prime Minister to inform him that he had cancelled his trip,” Mr Baru said.
