By IANS,
London : Less than three weeks after the Mumbai terror attacks, the political establishment here is seeking to strengthen Britain’s business ties with Gujarat – the source of one the largest Indian-origin communities in the country.
As many as 67 British MPs have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) in a rare show of solidarity celebrating the Vibrant Gujarat campaign.
The EDM was moved by Barry Gardiner, chairman of the all party parliamentary group on UK-India trade and investment relations, whose Brent North constituency in Northwest London comprises up to 50,000 Britons of Indian origin.
The motion “celebrates Britain’s role as the largest foreign direct investor into the State of Gujarat, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi; and welcomes the Festival of Vibrant Gujarat linking commerce and culture as a focus of community harmony for all the people of Gujarat”.
The motion not only has strong cross-party support but also the backing of leading British politicians such as Mike Gapes, chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Foreign Affairs; Andrew Dismore, chairman of the Joint Committee on Human Rights; Stephen Pound, former chairman of Labour Friends of India; and Jeremy Corbyn, a prominent human rights campaigner in the British parliament.
The EDM has already drawn the support of 67 MPs since being moved Friday – a number larger than those garnered by motions of solidarity after the Mumbai blasts.
The Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit, slated to be held Jan 12-13, 2009, aims to attract further investments into a state that is already among the favourite emerging market destinations for foreign investors.
The event will showcase business opportunities in a range of sectors in Gujarat, including gas, oil, power, information technology, infrastructure, shipbuilding, tourism, chemicals and petrochemicals, biotechnology, food and agri-business, auto-engineering and urban development.