‘(India-UK) FTA is not stuck… there has been lot of progress’: Karan Bilimoria, founder of

Why the six-year gap in the APPG visit?

You can say Covid is partly to blame, but there is no excuse. We need to make this much more regular… When I talk about delegation I am talking about filling a jumbo jet with the prime minister, cabinet ministers, business leaders, university leaders, chancellors and vice chancellors, the press, making an impact, making a statement of commitment to this relationship. The USA and China are two superpowers, the third superpower is going to happen within years, and that is India.

What makes you say that?

Because (of) India’s growth rate (not) just in GDP terms, but also in visibility. The Ahmedabad that I came to seven years ago has just grown… in leaps in bounds, in infrastructure development. GIFT city, in 2007, was an idea. Now it’s happening. There is potential for the UK in India because the UK’s strength is huge. The UK is one of the leaders in fintech in the world. In green finance, the UK is one of the leaders… A comprehensive free trade agreement will be another catalyst for increasing, enhancing trade and business investments in our two countries.

Was the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots a setback to this relationship?

The BBC is an organisation viewed and listened to by 500 million people every week. It is an independent government organisation; this is not the view of the British government. It is the BBC that produced or commissioned a documentary. This is not the British government saying anything, it is the BBC.

What are the other areas the UK is interested in?

Space is another area, because the UK is getting more advanced in space. In fact, the royal air force recently launched a space command. India has got a very advanced space programme that we want to work and partner with as well. In 2007, when Prime Minister (then chief minister) Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone, he was talking about fintech, nobody was talking about fintech. He was ahead of the game. Universities of course. British universities being the best in the world along with America.

Where is the FTA stuck?

It is not stuck at all. This is the most comprehensive agreement India has ever made. India did nine FTAs recently, and this is going to be by far, the most comprehensive. It is not easy negotiating the deal for the fifth largest and the sixth largest economies… You have all these challenges for having a deal that is fair, and appropriate for both countries, it involves a thorough process. You can agree on 90 per cent but the last 10 per cent will take longer.  We have had eight rounds of negotiations and there has been a lot of progress…

Was the Khalistan incident a setback of sorts?

Those sort of things should not come in the way of very friendly allies. It should not prevent trade, business, investment, education, culture and security (ties)… we need to continue to focus on the bigger opportunity.