India invites British PM Boris Johnson as chief guest for Republic Day

New Delhi, Dec 3: Soon after talks were held between PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart regarding India-Britain bilateral relations, Indian Govt has made it public that an official invitation has been sent to British PM Boris Johnson to be present as the chief guest of the celebrations.

 

If Boris Johnson accepts the invitation, which is quite likely to happen, then he will become the first British Prime Minister to attend any ceremony in India as the Guest of Honor, ever since the visit of Former PM John Major in 1993. He was formally invited by PM Narendra Modi during their telephonic conversation that took place on Nov 27, when the two had discussed several important subjects.

 

At the same time, Boris Johnson, on his part, has invited PM Modi to attend the G7 Summit, which is to be held in UK next year. According to the diplomats, the decision to invite PM Boris Johnson as the chief guest for Republic Day was not taken out of the blue and is a well calculated move, considering the backdrop of the tensed Brexit from EU for Britain and them still doubtful about the nature of their new relationship with the USA after the success of Joe Biden as the new President of the states.

 

For India, it is necessary to build healthy relations with Britain, since it is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC and still has a say on Afghanistan and Pakistan, that is considered by the USA. The UK also has a strong political lobby from Mirpur in PoK, which often steers its course on issues such as Jammu and Kashmir.

 

On the grounds of diplomacy, the move to invite PM Boris Johnson as the guest of honor for the coming Republic Day celebrations of 2021 seems to be an effective one.