Now on his second day of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has managed to drive the British media towards issues like billion-dollar deals and his opinion on the EU. Reports and opinion pieces in British newspapers initially were far more critical and rancorous, especially in The Guardian. And it was on day one of his visit that PM Modi also had one of the toughest press conferences so far in his Prime Ministership. Here is a round-up of how the media in London reported and wrote on Modi's visit.
Protests and anger
A significant amount of coverage, most notably from The Guardian, was about the protests Modi is facing from certain groups in London.
Pankaj Mishra writes in The Guardian, “Modi turned beef into an incendiary issue during his run for India’s highest political office; he and his party colleagues reinfused it with anti-minorities venom during recent local elections in the state of Bihar. The chief minister of one of India’s richest states declared last month that Muslims could only live in the country if they stopped eating beef.”
Business deals and bilateral relationship
Apart from the protests and criticism, there has been reportage on the business deals India and UK have signed. Modi has seen $14 billion worth of business deals in the sectors like energy, insurance and technology, according to media reports.
Tabloid
And of course, there was some UK-tabloid style reportage on the Queen's wardrobe and click-bait explainers and listicles.
Geopolitics
The British media also seems to have taken note of the fact that PM Modi thinks UK should remain within the confines of the European Union.
General News
And there was the 'normal' reportage - no bias, no sensationalism, straight facts.
