Modi visit will boost UK-India political and economic ties

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi visits Britain from Nov 12-14 for a landmark trip that will strengthen bilateral political and economic ties. The visit is the first one made by any Indian premier to the UK in a decade, and follows fast on the heels of trips to London by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, as part of the British government's "Open for Business" initiative to promote ties with the rest of the world.

While UK Prime Minister David Cameron is keen to fete Mr Modi's visit, it coincides with the heavy political defeat of his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday in key elections in Bihar, the third most populous Indian state.

The vote, widely perceived as a referendum on the prime minister's popularity after some 18 months in office, is a major political blow to his government which is seeking to pass a stalled economic programme in Delhi, including the biggest reform to taxation since independence from Britain in 1947.