Ahmedabad, March 28 (PTI) : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was today invited by a US Congressional delegation to visit America notwithstanding the US administration’s denial of visa to him over the 2002 riots.

After the delegation's meeting with Modi, Aaron Schock, a Republican in the House of Representatives who led the team, gave no assurance on a visa for Modi but said the members along with other Republican lawmakers will work with the US administration towards this end. It was the highest-level US delegation to meet Modi since the riots.

Members of the delegation said they were "impressed" with Modi's efforts to transform the state's economy. Modi had been denied visa by the US since 2005 due to allegations of mishandling of the post-Godhra riots against his government.

"We have extended an invitation to the Chief Minister Modi and requested him to show us there what he has achieved here in his state," Schock from Illinois, who was among the three Republican Congressmen in the delegation, told reporters here.

Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming) and Cathy M Rodgers (Washington) were the other two members.

Asked if this invitation meant that the US State Department had changed its stand over the issue of visa to Modi, Schock said "obviously it is a matter of the United States administration but we, along with other Republican lawmakers, will work in that direction with the US administration."

"We have invited him to the US to show us some of what he has done here in the state. We were impressed with what we have seen here, specially with his statement of `minimum government, maximum governance'. And as a Congressman of the Republican Party, I also believe in limited government."

A group of businessmen including some NRIs were also part of the 18-member delegation.

NRI businessman Salabh Kumar, a member of `Overseas Friends of BJP', said he expected Modi's visit to the US as early as June. Kumar was instrumental in arranging the delegation's visit to India

Modi's office, however, remained silent on the issue of invitation to visit the US in its press release.

"One of the most important thing he (Modi) said during our meeting was he is going to cut through the red tape to roll out the red carpet," Rodgers said.

Modi said he was thankful to the members of US Congress and business persons for their kind words on Gujarat's development.