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UK cosying up to Modi?
British Gas to supply LNG to Gujarat from 2015
Manas Dasgupta

significant pact An MoU was signed in Gandhinagar between the British Gas and the state-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited in the presence of Narendra Modi and the British Minister of State for Foreign Office Hugo Swire The agreement is being viewed here as a significant development in improving Modi's relations with Britain and other European countries which had reached a deadlock after the 2002 communal riots With Modi emerging as the potential contender for the NDA's nominee for the prime ministership, Britain had been showing positive gestures to bridge the gulf created over denial of diplomatic visa to the CM to visit Britain

Ahmedabad, March 20
Even without giving any commitment on issuing diplomatic visa to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the British government showed yet another gesture to come close to Gujarat signing an agreement to supply 2.5 million tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to the state from 2015.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Gandhinagar today between the British Gas (BG) and the state-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPC) in the presence of Modi and the British Minister of State for Foreign Office Hugo Swire. According to the MoU, the BG would supply gas to the state from its global LNG portfolio starting with 1.25 million tonnes of supply in the next two years and doubling the supply later on for the next 20 years.

The agreement is being viewed here as a significant development in improving Modi's relations with Britain and other European countries which had reached a deadlock after the 2002 communal riots in which two British nationals of Indian origin were killed near Prantij in north Gujarat while on a visit to Gujarat. The case is yet to be decided by the court.

Swire who was responsible for the United Kingdom government taking a "U" turn to improve relations with Gujarat after refusing diplomatic visa to Modi for the last 10 years, called on the CM earlier in the day before the agreement was signed. In December, last year, Swire had directed the British High Commissioner in India James Bevan to personally meet Modi following which Britain also participated as a partner in the "Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit" held in January.

With Modi emerging as the potential contender for the NDA’s nominee for the prime ministership, Britain had been showing positive gestures to bridge the gulf created over denial of diplomatic visa to the CM to visit Britain. The official sources here said the British government had dropped hints of inviting Modi to Britain for an official visit sometime in May. Neither Swire nor Modi, however, raised the visa issue.