Boris brings up Tendulkar, Bachchan

NEW DELHI : From describing his counterpart Narendra Modi as his “khaas dost” (special friend) to references to icons such as Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday played up the special place he envisages for India in the UK’s efforts to play a larger role on the global stage.

Addressing a joint media interaction with Modi following their talks in New Delhi, Johnson began by referring to the Indian Prime Minister – whom he repeatedly called by his first name – as “my khaas dost”. There was also a reference to the two countries – “the khaas dost” – getting closer together in challenging times. On Thursday, Johnson became the first British Prime Minister to visit Gujarat, the ancestral home of almost half of all British citizens of Indian-origin and the home state of Modi, and he described the reactions to his trip to the western state by name checking cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan.

“I had an amazing reception – absolutely amazing – I felt like Sachin Tendulkar. My face was about as ubiquitous everywhere as Amitabh Bachchan. I was everywhere to be seen and it was fantastic,” he said in his remarks at the media interaction.

Johnson was also the first British premier to visit the Sabarmati Ashram, which was established by Mahatma Gandhi and played a crucial role in India’s freedom struggle against the British Raj. There were several other references to India’s prowess in areas as diverse as health care and manufacturing in Johnson’s speech. While speaking about the collaboration between Oxford and AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India (SII) on the Covishield vaccine, Johnson said he was among the more than one billion people who had benefited from the Covid-19 vaccine.

“I have the Indian jab in my arm and the power of good it did me, so thanks to India. And that has helped India to become what Narendra has called the pharmacy to the world,” he said. He also referred to iconic British brands such as Range Rover, Norton motorcycles and JCB (Joseph Cyril Bamford Excavators Ltd) that now have an Indian connection.

“On Wednesday, I went to the airport in a Range Rover – Indianowned but made in Britain. And when I arrived here on Thursday, I visited JCB, British-owned but made in India, exporting 60,000 every year around the word, 110 countries,” he said about the exports of JCB equipment such as excavators and bulldozers.

“Or take the example of the Norton motorbike now being revived in Britain by an Indian company,” he added.

However, Johnson’s visit to the JCB factory in Gujarat, where he climbed into an excavator and worked its controls, wasn’t without controversy. The event was criticised in sections of the British media as it came a day after the firm’s machinery was used to demolish homes in a part of New Delhi affected by sectarian violence.

I had an amazing reception – absolutely amazing – I felt like Sachin Tendulkar. BORIS JOHNSON, UK PM