Protests during Modi’s first day in the U.K.

As the first day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London got off to a business like start on Thursday, it was a different mood that prevailed on the street outside 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister’s official residence, and later in Parliament Square.

On a grey and overcast morning, angry protestors gathered carrying banners, placards and flags which highlighted the increasing number of incidents of intolerance in India against the freedom of speech and writing and the rights of minorities. Angry protestors raised anti-Modi slogans, which for a time were met in equal measure by a group of pro-Modi agitators who gathered on the opposite side of the road.

Drawn from organisations like the South Asia Solidarity Forum, Awaaz and the Nepal People’s Coordination Committee, over a thousand people faced-off the group of Modi as policemen in high visibility jackets stood between the two camps.

“I don’t belong to any particular group but came here because I felt that I needed to protest against Mr. Modi who is anti-intellectual and anti-secular, “ said Gina Sargunar from Bristol.

Former Bradford Member of Parliament and Respect leader George Galloway was among the protestors. “Mr. Modi is Prime Minister of a great country, though he is not a great Prime Minister” he said.

Demonstrators from Nepal participated in large numbers, demanding an end to the economic blockade of Nepal. “Mr. Modi does not want Nepal to have its Constitution,” said Bigyan Prasai, an office bearer of the NPCC. “We are in another humanitarian crisis after the earthquake, with the blockade cutting essential supplies, including to hospitals.”

By mid-morning, the group of pro-Modi demonstrators had melted away, even as the numbers swelled on the other side. “We want to welcome Modi to the UK,”said Shailesh Shedbale, a financial consultant who had come to the venue with his colleage Sachin Jadhav. Both said they were impressed with Mr. Modi’s leadership, especially his “make in India” slogan. They also hope that in this visit Mr. Modi would hear their demand for voting rights for non-resident Indians.

Open letter

Two hundred British writers from PEN international wrote to the British Prime Minister asking him to use the platform to discuss the human rights situation with Mr. Modi. On Wednesday a large group of senior academics from British universities published an open letter in The Guardian expressing much the same sentiment.