After Manmohan & Mamata, Britain’s Cameron eyes Modi

Cameron who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday ahead of the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo, met PM Manmohan Singh and held talks focussed on improving the bilateral trade ties. Visiting India for the third time, he favoured more meetings and informal discussions with the Prime Minister and said there is a lot in common between India and Britain and the two were good trade partners as well. ‘We are one of the oldest democracies. We both have challenges to fight terrorism and we both want to be successes in this global economic race that we are engaged in. We have ties of the past - the history, the language and the culture. But it is the future that excites me, on what Britain and India can do together,’ he said.

Later, he visited Kolkata and met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. ‘This is, I said, a short visit, so this is a government to government visit to India where my first priority is to come and see your Prime Minister.’ Before reaching Kolkata, the British PM had said, ‘Kolkata is a city I’ve never been to before. I’m looking forward to the visit.’

On being asked if Cameron would like to meet the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he replied in affirmative, saying he was open to meeting all elected leaders including Modi. ‘In time, yes. It’s good to meet. We have an approach of meeting all politicians and leaders. In the end, it will be for the people of India whom to elect. But I’m open to meeting elected leaders,’ said Cameron on Thursday.