From: Rajeev Mantri
UK links visa snub to India's refusal to take back migrants
LONDON: Bilateral relations between the
UKand India have taken a nosedive ironically at the launch of the first ever 'UK-India Week', which was meant to celebrate the bond between the two countries.
The UK's international trade secretary
Liam Foxsaid on the sidelines of the launch event that the reason India was excluded from a list of countries offered easier access to student visas was because it had in April refused to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) promising to facilitate return of
illegal Indian immigrantsin the UK to India. His remarks went down like a lead balloon with officials at the Indian high commission in London.
The aim of the UK-India Week was to address prospects for post-Brexit partnerships. But instead, after day one of the event organised by PM Modi's ex- communications director Manoj Ladwa, ties have hit an all-time low.
Responding to Fox's remarks, an Indian high commission official told TOI, "It's up to the British government to decide what kind of visas they want to give and whether they want closer ties with India. I feel the signals they are sending our way are wrong but whether they bring lasting damage to our relations is a longterm perspective. It's for them to decide if they want to link this to the MoU, but if they do, they will have to bear the consequences. I am not confident this is going to turn out well."
A UK foreign office spokesman said: "There is no limit on the number of genuine Indian students who can come to study in the UK, and the fact that last year saw a 30 per cent increase in tier-4 visas issued to Indians is proof the current system allows for strong growth in this area. We continue to discuss finalising an agreement on the returns of Indian nationals in the UK who are here illegally, with the hope that it will be ratified and implemented as soon as possible."
Britain believes there are 100,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the UK whereas India puts the figure at 2,000.
On Monday, at the release of an edition of 'The 100 Most Influential in UK-India Relations', Fox surprisingly helped sour ties by saying, "There is always a demand for easier norms, but we cannot look at that without addressing the issue of overstayers."
Junior home minister
Kiren Rijijuinitialled the MoU in January but PM Modi pulled out of signing it when he visited the UK in April. Sources at the Indian high commission had told TOI at the time that the MoU had not been signed because India was "not seeing any progress on easing of visas for Indians".
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