The Prime Minister, David Cameron was commended for improving trade between India and the UK at the Conservative Friends of India (CF India) Annual Lunch in London.
Alok Sharma, Co-Chairman of CF India and the Member of Parliament for Reading West, introduced the Prime Minister to a packed room of 400 guests from across the British Indian community, which included 35 Parliamentarians and Parliamentary candidates, as well as the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ranjan Mathai.
Speaking during his introduction, Alok said of David Cameron that “no Conservative Leader has ever done more” to engage with India and the British-Indian community.
Alok Sharma said: “Prime Minister, no British Sikh will ever forget your historic visit, to pay your respects at the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh. And no British Hindu will ever forget you and Mrs Cameron, who dressed in a sari, joining Diwali celebrations at Neasden Mandir last year. That photo literally went round the world!”
Alok praised the Prime Minister for making three trade missions to India in four years and for making the decision to erect a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, who he described as “one of the world’s greatest icons”.
Alok Sharma
Making the keynote speech, the Prime Minister described the growing importance he attached to both the relationship with the British Indian community and India. Outlining three “fabulous facts” about Britain’s relationship with India he said: “Firstly, Indian business is investing more into the UK than the rest of the European Union put together; second, UK is the biggest inward investor into India, so the economic partnership is getting ever greater; and fact number three is that Britain's biggest diplomatic presence anywhere in the world is actually in India.”
Making reference to the recent Indian elections David Cameron said: “Britain and India now both have bold reforming governments that believe in free enterprise, that believe in progress, that believe that if we take long term difficult decisions, we can serve our countries".
Making clear his commitment to building on that relationship, the Prime Minister went on to say: “we have not yet even scratched the surface of how far this relationship can go.”
Mr Cameron also disclosed some of the private conversation he had with India's newly-elected leader: “I won’t forget my conversation with Prime Minister Modi congratulating him on his victory. I picked up the phone and said, ‘It's great to be talking to someone who just got more votes than any other politician anywhere in the universe’."
The Prime Minister also praised British Indians for the importance they attach to serving the community. “What is at stake at the next elections are not just the policies and plans but the values that lie behind them. That is where I believe British Indians have so much to contribute to this fight that we have in front of us.
Andrew Feldman
"The values that will help Britain succeed are the values that your communities hold dear. As Gandhi said, the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Ranjit Baxi
CF India Co-chairman Mr Ranjit Baxi concluded with the vote of thanks, thanking the Prime Minister for attending the special occasion.
He thanked everyone in the room for their support, in particular the contribution made by the Indian women present. He noted that the party Chairman, Lord Feldman, was proud of the contribution made to society by British Indians, “who not only uphold the rich Indian culture and family values that are so close to the Conservative Party, but are also leaders in their own right.”
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