British PM David Cameron Arrives on Two-day Visit to India
IANS
Bangalore, Jul 28: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived here early Wednesday on the first leg of his two-day maiden visit to India.
Cameron, who is accompanied by the biggest ever delegation of British ministers and business honchos, was received at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in the heart of the city by state Home Minister V.S. Acharya and senior police officials.
The British prime minister has a busy schedule Wednesday starting with a meeting with Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, followed by a visit to India's IT bellwether Infosys Technologies Ltd and a lecture to its employees.
Cameron will later visit HAL, the defence behemoth, which is manufacturing advanced jet trainers (AJTs) Hawk under licence from British defence group BAE Systems.
Cameron will fly to Delhi Wednesday afternoon from HAL airport.
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vincent Cable, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt and National Security Adviser Peter Ricketts are part of Cameron's delegation.
CEOs of leading business houses, vice chancellors of reputed universities and sports personalities are also accompanying Cameron.
Dont Mention Kashmir, Poverty in India, Cameron Advised
By Venkata Vemuri/IANS
Bangalore, Jul 28: Look out for the "elephant traps" in India, dont mention Kashmir and avoid patronising references to poverty. Dont dare criticise and instead talk of the "New India".
For the past two days British media has been full of tips to Prime Minister David Cameron, who arrived in India Tuesday night, on how not to upset India if his trip is to be a success. But taking the cake is the tongue-in-cheek advice in the Financial Times reflecting on British and Indian attitudes on certain sub-continental issues.
The newspaper's columnist Alex Barker in his blog asks Cameron to look out for "elephant traps" in India.
The first is 'Kashmir', he says. Recalling controversial utterances by previous British foreign secretaries like Robin Cook and David Miliband, Barker tells Cameron: "The quickest way to turn a charm offensive into a diplomatic fiasco. The basic rule: British ministers should say nothing. Don't dare criticise, offer to help, or link bringing peace to tackling terrorism. Stray words have consequences."
The second is 'Poverty'. "More poor people than anywhere on earth. But not worth mentioning too loudly. Talk about the New India instead. Mention the aid review. A patronising tone is fatal."
The third, 'Coming over too fresh'. Barker says: "The young, dynamic, no-nonsense version of Cameron should probably be left behind. It's time to learn some manners. Indian politicians are, as a rule, double his age and four times as grand. If the meetings are stuffy, formal, overbearingly polite, that's a good thing."
The fourth is the 'Immigration cap'. The columnist writes: "A big issue for the Indian elite. Anand Sharma, the commerce minister, raised his 'concerns' earlier this month with Cameron himself. A heavily bureaucratic and stingy visa regime will not encourage Indians to work or study in Britain."