On busy first day, UK PM Boris Johnson meets billionaire Gautam Adani in Gujarat

British prime minister Boris Johnson - on a two-day visit to India - met Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in Gujarat on Thursday. "Honoured to host Boris Johnson, the first UK PM to visit Gujarat, at Adani HQ. Delighted to support climate and sustainability agenda with focus on renewables, green H2 and new energy. Will also work with UK companies to co-create defence and aerospace technologies," Adani tweeted with a photo of him with Johnson.

Johnson landed in Gujarat's Ahmedabad this morning and was welcomed by chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and governor Acharya Devvrat. 

He was given a grand welcome with traditional dance and music shows and took part in a four-km roadshow to his hotel.

Prior to his arrival the United Kingdom High Commission released a statement that said Johnson would announce a number of commercial agreements as part of a 'new era' in bilateral trade and investment ties during his visit to India.

UK PM Boris Johnson comes to India with deals worth 1 billion GBP

Johnson today also visited Mahatma Gandhi's iconic Sabarmati Ashram, where he tried his hand at spinning the famous charkha. 

He was also gifted copies of rare books, including 'Guide to London' (one of the first books written by Gandhi but never published).

Among his other engagements in Gujarat today is a visit to a factory opened by a top British firm as well as a biotech university collaborating with the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Johnson visits Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, tries hand at charkha | Video

The British PM is scheduled to spend Friday in Delhi, where he will hold extensive talks with prime minister Narendra Modi. 

The two are expected to talk on expanding ties in key sectors, including defence and trade, besides exchanging views on the Ukraine crisis. Sources, however, said the UK will not look to lecture India on its position in this war.

Johnson's visit - delayed from last year due to a Covid outbreak - will focus on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and momentum to negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations, as well as enhancing defence ties.

This is the first time a UK prime minister is in Gujarat - India's fifth-largest state and the ancestral home of around half the British-Indian population in the UK.

With input from PTI