Britain's senior-most Indian-origin Cabinet minister Priti Patel is set to meet the top Indian leadership during her three-day India visit starting tomorrow with a message of post-Brexit "golden era" for Indo-UK ties.
India is among Patel's first major overseas visits within weeks of assuming charge as the UK's international development minister under the new Theresa May-led government.
"I look at this (Britain's vote to leave the Europe Union) from a very optimistic point of view and it is very much about the art of the possible. We are entering a golden era effectively," Patel told PTI on the eve of her visit.
"It is business as usual. If anything, there will be new opportunities when it comes to trade, growing new relationships and taking the economic relationship to a new level," she said in reference to the message she wanted to convey in India following the EU referendum.
In New Delhi, Patel has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
She will also be visiting Bhopal, where she will be hosted by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to review some of the work her Department for International Development (DfID) has been doing on the ground.
The 44-year-old Gujarati-origin minister, who had been one of the most vocal campaigners in favour of Brexit, believes that "strategic partners" like India would have a significant role to play within the new politico-economic order.
"This is now about Britain's place in the world and how we work with our strategic partners like India to look at the new growth opportunities that we can develop together. The point is 'together' because previously we were, and still are until we officially leave the EU, a voice at the table and the negotiating bloc," Patel said.
"Trying to get 28 countries to agree is pretty tricky. But when you are doing country to country, business to business it becomes a totally different proposition," she said.
The former Indian Diaspora Champion said while the title created by former prime minister David Cameron may not exist under the new administration, she plans to build upon all the ground work done in that role over the years.
"The clear point to make is that being of Indian-origin, I have spent many years building up the UK-India relationship. With a new administration, cementing some of those personal relationships with key government ministers will help to bring a degree of continuity and also drive additional energy into this space," she said.
"We are two great nations looking for a shared future and a strategic partnership that really delivers for the 21st century for both our countries in a fair and equal way," Patel said.
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Britain's bilateral aid relationship with India underwent a transformation at the end of December 2015, when DfID ceased its financial aid for the country to focus on "technical assistance" programmes.
Patel said the shift reflected India's changing place in the world and highlighted the supporting role UK government and businesses are keen to offer.
"Prime Minister Modi's vision for India has been phenomenal. He has transformed India's reputation internationally in a very strong way, showing that India is not just a rising country but it is dynamic, innovative and out there to attract the brightest and best when it comes to overseas businesses, skills and capacity building.
"We have always been clear about the strength of the relationship; I have said on numerous occasions that we stand shoulder to shoulder with India. We have so many natural ties and synergies," she said.
Among some of the other plans before she returns to the UK on Sunday, Patel plans to involve British businesses already present in India in her meetings and discussions, including a "round table on skills and the role that British firms and British businesses can play".
"I will be picking the strands and synergies of the UK-India CEOs Forum to see how we can grow private sector partnerships to a new level across our two countries," she said.
India marks Patel's second overseas visit as international development minister, after a visit to Lebanon and Jordan last week to address the refugee crisis in the region.
