A day after Narendra Modi was nominated as the prime ministerial candidate of India's main opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the United States has announced that he would still have to apply for a visa like any other applicant.
According to Gulf News, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf indicated that there was no change in the nation's long-standing visa policy.
However, Harf said that Modi was welcome to apply for visa and await a review like any other applicant, but it would be grounded in US law.
Modi has not applied for a US visa since 2005 when he was denied a diplomatic visa for his alleged inaction in controlling the 2002 Godhra riots, the report said.
In addition, the B-1/B-2 visa that had previously been granted to him was also revoked, the report added.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj met party patriarch L.K. Advani to mollify him following the decision to name Modi as prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 polls, the report further said.