Former UK PM Johnson praises PM Modi 'agent of change' in new memoir | Foreign Defense Security News

For some reason, we stood in the dark in the square near Tower Bridge, in front of a crowd of his supporters, Johnson shared in a chapter titled 'Britain and India', referring to his first meeting with Modi in his city . Office on the banks of the River Thames when he was Mayor of London.

He raised my arm and chanted something or other in Hindi, and although I couldn't follow it, I felt his curious astrological power. I have enjoyed his company ever since because I think he is the change our relationship needs. With Modi, I am sure, we could not only conclude a great free trade agreement, but also build a long-term partnership, as friends and equals, he wrote.

Johnson revealed how a distinctly dismissive UK Foreign Office warned him about meeting the Hindu nationalist leader during the mayor's previous trade delegation to India in 2012, an issue that soon paved the way for a relationship that “reached the point highest ever.”

The 60-year-old politician-turned-writer emphasized how much he loves India, saying he is a “veteran” of many Indian marriages, as his children with ex-wife Marina Wheeler, of Sikh heritage, have roots in the country.

Although he wrote proudly about a similar “Anglo-Indian syncretism” in politics with his diverse cabinet as prime minister, including many British Indians such as Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, Johnson lamented the slow growth of bilateral trade due to unnecessary trade barriers. Leave it to UK visitors to equate duty-free booze with Indians hungry for decently priced Scotch whisky.

He recalled the resounding success of his visit to India as Prime Minister in January 2022 as a much-needed morale boost and a balm for the soul against the increasingly fractious domestic politics that would eventually culminate in his unwanted departure from Number 10 of Downing Street in just a few months. . after

He claimed that he wanted to use the visit to give a soft approach to Narendra on the relationship with Russia and the conflict with Ukraine.

He wrote: I knew the whole history and all the sensibilities, the reasons for India's post-war non-alignment with the West, the seemingly unbreakable relationship with Moscow. I understand India's dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, like China's.

But I thought it was time for a modulation, for a rethink… When I threw to the Indians, the Russian missiles turned out to be less accurate, statistically, than my first serve in tennis. Did they really want to keep Russia as their main supplier of military equipment?

It is in this context that, in another section of the book, where he generously praises the late Queen Elizabeth II for her deep personal knowledge of history and history's creators, he mentions her efforts to get India to adopt a hard line towards the Russians. .

He remembered something former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had told him in the 1950s. He told me that India will always support Russia and that some things will never change. They simply. I quote what, as an illustration of his incredible powers of persuasion and relevance, he shared with reference to his usual weekly audience with the late King as Prime Minister.

Johnson credits himself with injecting a broader vision into the India-UK partnership, to go beyond trade, climate change and education partnerships and initiate a full program of military and technical cooperation.

The Ministry of Defense (Ministry of Defense), which is always concerned about India's proximity to Russia, we have agreed to work together on all types of military technology, from submarines to helicopters and marine propulsion units, proudly announced.

With 'Unleashed', Johnson seems keen to emphasize his lack of bitterness over his ignominious dismissal as prime minister in the wake of the Partygate scandal over greed-busting parties, but it is clear that his eventual successor at 10 Downing Street it was Rishi Sunak. , who worsened the problems by resigning from his cabinet as chancellor in June 2022.

It was worse than a crime, I thought, a mistake for Rishi and the team, let alone the country. This is what happened, he writes, pointing to the recent disastrous general election results for the Tories.

I don’t blame Rishi for wanting to be a premature prime minister; In fact, I don't blame any of them for trying to get me out of there. “That is exactly what Conservative MPs do… It goes without saying that if we had all stood together, I have no doubt that we could have won in 2024, and many of my friends would have their seats now,” he said.