Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to the United Kingdom is less than 12 days away, there is still no official announcement of his programme either from the Indian High Commission or the British Foreign Office. However, his itinerary’s broad contours, sourced possibly from the BJP spokesperson and the UK-Indian grapevine, have been widely circulating in the media.
According to this, Mr. Modi arrives on the morning of November 12 and goes straight to 10 Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. This will be followed by a quick stopover at Parliament Square, where he will garland the recently installed statue of Mahatma Gandhi before moving on to Westminster to address members of Parliament. Although Parliament is not in session, his address is expected to attract a full house. In the evening, he goes to the City of London, where presumably more business agreements will be signed, and wraps up the day at a reception at Guildhall.
Speaking to The Hindu a week ago, Minister for Employment Priti Patel stressed the “personal” and “people-to-people” nature of Mr. Modi’s visit. The ‘unofficial’ version of Mr. Modi’s itinerary now in circulation is at pains to emphasise the special warmth of the relationship, pointing out that Mr. Modi will receive the honour of being hosted overnight on the November 12 at Chequers, the country house retreat of British prime ministers. Additionally, he will meet Queen Elizabeth II, an honour no Indian prime minister in recent times has been accorded.
Furthermore, we are told that Mr. Cameron will personally introduce Mr. Modi to the 60,000-strong crowd that will gather for the extravaganza organised by Indian diaspora at Wembley Stadium on the evening of November 13.
