Ahmedabad: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to begin his long-pending trip to India that was delayed due to the pandemic. Johnson is on a two-day visit to India during which he will focus on economic ties and the war in Ukraine.
Johnson was seen on Thursday trying his hand at the iconic charkha, or the spinning wheel, at Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram in Gujarat’s Sabarmati.
He also left a message in the visitor’s book, saying, ‘It is an immense privilege to come to the Ashram of this extraordinary man, and to understand how he mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better.’
The UK prime minister hopes to strike new economic deals between Britain and its huge former colony worth over £1 billion in areas including software engineering and health.
He also aims to coax India away from Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, maintained that Britain wants to ‘provide alternative options for defense procurement and energy for India to diversify its supply chains away from Russia’ without lecturing the government ‘on what course of action was best for them.’