Bureaucrat-turned-politician K J Alphons, who tried to convince U.S. lawmakers to revoke visa restrictions on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has failed to receive any firm commitment on the issue.
However, he exuded confidence that the U.S. may change its stand soon.
A national executive member of the BJP, Mr. Alphons primarily came to the U.S. to attend the Annual Prayer Breakfast with U.S. President Barack Obama on February 7.
In addition to that he has been meeting Senators, Congressmen, officials and academicians, besides speaking at the Harvard University.
“I have been telling that if they do not invite Modi now and revoke its policy of denying him a visa, it might be too late for the United States as he is headed for a much larger role in national politics,” Mr. Alphons told PTI.
He said Mr. Modi is the most business like politician he has even seen and that he saw a greater role for him in Indian politics.
Mr. Alphons said that he has not received any firm commitment from U.S. lawmakers on the change in U.S. policy but exuded confidence that this will happen soon.
Yesterday, U.S. assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia Robert Blake had said in New Delhi that the United States’ policy on Mr. Modi remains unchanged.
“There is no question of changing or revising or softening. We may revise (visa to Modi) depending on the Indian justice system completing cases against him,” he said.
U.S. has earlier refused to give visa to Mr. Modi over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
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