SUSHMA SWARAJ, India’s external affairs minister, received a standing ovation from British Indian community leaders when she inaugurated the first regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in London on Friday (Oct 17).
With the British foreign secretary Philip Hammond listening attentively, she read out her prepared text in English for about 10 minutes.
This was after she and Hammond had lit the ceremonial lamp and the foreign secretary had spoken of how highly the 1.5m strong Indian community in the UK was valued.
Some 700 leading members of the Indian community in the UK, including many peers, MPs and captains of industry, responded warmly to Swaraj’s Hindi address.
Her basic message was that the Indian government wanted an even closer relationship with the diaspora, especially the one in the UK.
There was a time when Indians to go to the UK, she said, adding, “Now is the time to go to India.”
The gathering was held at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster, close to where a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled next January.
In her speech in English, Swaraj, who is also minister for overseas Indians, said: “I attach great importance to this event as this is the first large-scale engagement of the new Government in India with the highly successful and vibrant Indian origin community of the United Kingdom and other European countries.”
“We are pleased that the people and Government of the United Kingdom have shown tremendous goodwill towards India since the new Government took over following the historic parliamentary elections in our country earlier this year,” she went on.
“We regard relations with the United Kingdom as a priority in India’s external engagement and seek to raise this multifaceted partnership to greater heights. The role and contribution of the large Indian Diaspora is an important input in this endeavour.”
Both countries believe the diaspora could play a vital role in enhancing the relationship.
“We deeply value the role and contribution of the Indian communities abroad – in building bridges of friendship and goodwill between India and their adopted countries,” Swaraj emphasised.
She put the relationship into context. “The Indian Diaspora in the UK is a special one. It has been formed over the years, over several decades due to various historical factors. The UK was always a destination for Indian students. Several legendary leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel came here to study law.
Several groups of people including those from Punjab and Gujarati expatriates have chosen to make UK their home.”
She made her pitch to overseas Indians. “As we rejoice in the success of the Indian Diaspora, we also invite you to actively participate in India’s growth story. Our Government is fully committed to good governance, clear policies, efficiency, accountability, speedy decision making, transparency and favourable business environment.”
Swaraj emphasised: “There are tremendous opportunities today for you to join us, especially in the fields of manufacturing, infrastructure development, education, health, skills development, science and technology, research and innovation, knowledge economy and youth development as part of our effort to realise India’s full potential.
Several exciting projects such as the Clean Ganga Project, Metro Rail Project, Smart Cities Project etc. are on the anvil, where you can contribute meaningfully.”
She repeated the assurances that have been given by the Indian prime minister during his recent US visit.
“All PIO cards are now valid for the lifetime of the cardholder, instead of 15 years. PIO cardholders would also now not be required to report to a police station even if their visit to India exceeds 180 days,” she confirmed. “The Government is working on a new scheme that will merge the PIO and OCI schemes. The doors of my Ministry are open to you. We would welcome your new ideas and suggestions on how we can work closely together.”
She urged British Indians to attend “the main Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention to be held in India from the 7th to 9th January 2015 at Gandhinagar Gujarat.
This PBD is a very special one as it is being held on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa. It will be an important occasion for overseas Indians to interact among themselves and with different agencies of Government of India and with the various State Governments of India that are present here.”
She left with Hammond for 45 minutes of bilateral talks which focused on economic and defence matters.
