04-23-2006, 06:10 AM
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--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> World Guj meet: Visa woes for Modi
[ Saturday, April 22, 2006 09:19:23 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
AHMEDABAD: The first-ever world Gujarati meet is being organised in the USA in July 2006 and the organisers are very keen to have Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in their midst.
Even Modiâs bitter political rival and Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela has confirmed his participation.
But this is an uphill task, considering the stinging snub the US government delivered to Modi in March 2005,when it denied him a diplomatic visa and revoked his 10-year tourist visa. Modi was forced to call off his address to the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Florida and a public meeting in New York.
He eventually delivered a speech played over a giant screen at these events. One year later, a delegation of Gujarati on making another attempt at convincing the US state department that the denial of visa to Modi, on account of the Godhra riots in 2002, was an over-reaction.
"Before coming to India to canvass for the convention, we inquired with the state department and officials told us that they could not say anything till a fresh visa application is made," says New Jersey-based Dr Sudhir M Parikh, chairman of National Organisation of Indian Associations in the US.
Earlier this week, when the organisers met Modi and extended an invitation to him to attend the convention, he is understood to have told them that he would not apply for a visa till he gets an assurance from the state department that it will consider it favourably.
"It is unfortunately a deadlock because such an assurance is not forthcoming," says Prakash A Shah of the AAHOA, now a key organiser of the Gujarati Convention.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> World Guj meet: Visa woes for Modi [ Saturday, April 22, 2006 09:19:23 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
AHMEDABAD: The first-ever world Gujarati meet is being organised in the USA in July 2006 and the organisers are very keen to have Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in their midst.
Even Modiâs bitter political rival and Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela has confirmed his participation.
But this is an uphill task, considering the stinging snub the US government delivered to Modi in March 2005,when it denied him a diplomatic visa and revoked his 10-year tourist visa. Modi was forced to call off his address to the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Florida and a public meeting in New York.
He eventually delivered a speech played over a giant screen at these events. One year later, a delegation of Gujarati on making another attempt at convincing the US state department that the denial of visa to Modi, on account of the Godhra riots in 2002, was an over-reaction.
"Before coming to India to canvass for the convention, we inquired with the state department and officials told us that they could not say anything till a fresh visa application is made," says New Jersey-based Dr Sudhir M Parikh, chairman of National Organisation of Indian Associations in the US.
Earlier this week, when the organisers met Modi and extended an invitation to him to attend the convention, he is understood to have told them that he would not apply for a visa till he gets an assurance from the state department that it will consider it favourably.
"It is unfortunately a deadlock because such an assurance is not forthcoming," says Prakash A Shah of the AAHOA, now a key organiser of the Gujarati Convention.