Narendra Modi have been to US before Godhra riots

GANDHINAGAR: The US may have refused him a visa in 2005, but Narendra Modi had crisscrossed the globe a fair bit in the past decade; meeting leaders, getting investments into Gujarat, and leaving his footprint, internationally.

Modi had also travelled to the US a few times before 2001, when he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Then came 2002 and its fallout: Modi became a persona non-grata for the West, though he did reach out to the Indian diaspora through video conferencing.

As Gujarat CM, Modi had visited Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and tried to rope in these countries for various events in his state. He even got Japan and Canada as partners for his biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor’s Summit.

Modi had also visited Russia with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and had established relations with Astrakhan. Later, he travelled to London and Switzerland and brought back the mortal remains of Shyamji Krishna Varma, an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.

He visited China thrice, the last time in November 2011. The visit assumes significance as he managed to secure the release of 12 out of the 22 diamond traders from Gujarat who were arrested by the Chinese custom officials. With Modi ready to take charge of the nation, and President Obama inviting him to the White House despite the past visa ban, the past appears to be firmly buried.