Boris Johnson has invaded Gujarat, the first British prime minister to visit the west Indian state and the first stop on a hectic two-day journey.
Why Gujarat? Because a large number of Gujuratis live in Britain and it is the home state of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The drive from Ahmedabad airport to the city center was lined with miles of billboards celebrating the visit and crowds waved Indian and British flags.
This isn’t the kind of enthusiasm Boris Johnson has been enjoying very much of late, as Tory MPs grumble and grumble over the party saga that drags on.
They aren’t angry enough to try to unseat Mr Johnson (there’s also a war in Ukraine and a lack of apparent back-ups to strain), but his troops at home await the next Met Police update with weary resignation .
Out here in the sweltering Indian heat, the Prime Minister doesn’t seem too concerned about what people at home say about Partygate.
On the plane over there, he waved off questions about whether he would resign if the fines piled up.
He insisted that he would lead his party into the next general election.
I wrote this about a Chinook helicopter that hijacked the Prime Minister and his team to open a remote JCB factory.
A major theme of the trip is to highlight business ties between the UK and one of the world’s largest economies.
The same is true of Ukraine, and Boris Johnson was clear he would tread carefully in his talks with Mr Modi on Friday in Delhi.
India’s longstanding neutrality and abstentions in UN votes condemning the Russian invasion may worry the British, but they won’t say so publicly.
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Instead, Boris Johnson hopes to rid India of its dependence on Russian energy and Russian military equipment.
The talks in Delhi will certainly be about defence; It’s a market that Britain wants to penetrate further.
For Mr Johnson, this visit is an opportunity to see the statesman and enjoy the distraction offered by the dancers and drummers who pop up around every corner.
What does Narendra Modi make of it? Is he as confident as his counterpart that a free trade agreement could be finalized by the end of the year? There will be no joint press conference to find out because India’s Prime Minister is not holding it.
It is not clear whether Boris Johnson will raise concerns about India’s press freedom, community relations or the protection of minorities.
Britain needs India more than ever as an economic and military ally.
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