India yet to get sense of ‘new' relationship idea

During delegation-level talks on Thursday, New Delhi will try to understand what British Prime Minister David Cameron means by a "new special relationship" with India.

"Yes, we have seen reports and are aware of the intention of the Government of U.K. to have a 'new special relationship' with India. I guess the [delegation-level] discussions will naturally throw light on what these terms mean. So, we will have to wait till tomorrow [Thursday] for the joint press interaction by the two Prime Ministers," Joint Secretary (Europe Western) T.P. Seetharam told newspersons here on Wednesday.

The term was first used by Mr. Cameron when he visited India earlier. It has since become part of the coalition document in the U.K. He has also used the term 'enhanced partnership' and amplified on both expressions in his article in The Hindu.

That the U.K. is making a big effort to push Mr. Cameron's maiden visit to the front pages is evident by the largest-ever delegation accompanying him.The Indian community in the U.K., close to three per cent of the population, is well assimilated and has eight Members in the House of Commons and 22 in the House of Lords. The country hosts over 30,000 Indian students, the second biggest foreign student body.

Bilateral trade has surged and the U.K. is the fourth largest investor in India. On the flip side, Indian companies have been actively investing in the U.K. and are now the second largest investors in London.

But on the political side there are differences in dealing with Afghanistan, with India coming away with a sore feeling from the recent London conference. The two sides also hold divergent views on Myanmar.

Accompanied by an impressive array of dons from premier British universities, London is looking at education projects on the back of a five-year programme whose long term aim was to become "each other's partner of choice in education."

In the nuclear energy, the civil nuclear liability bill is of peripheral interest since British companies would at best supply components to majors such as GE, Westinghouse and Areva who will be setting up turnkey plants in India.

The military contract signed in Bangalore on Wednesday is worth over $1 billion and in the big ticket category