A delegation of American lawmakers and businessmen today met Narendra Modi and invited him to the US. The Gujarat Chief Minister has been denied visa by the US after the 2002 communal riots in his state.Republican Congressman from Illinois Aaron Schock, who led the 18-member US team, said they were much impressed with Mr Modi's statement of "minimum government, maximum governance," and that, "we have invited him to come over to the US and share with us the work that he has done." He said they would speak to the US administration about a visa for Mr Modi.The Gujarat Chief Minister tweeted after the visit, "Am thankful to the members of USA Congress & business persons for their kind words on Gujarat's development."The delegation's visit has been facilitated by the Overseas Friends of BJP, a US-based organisation. The team met Mr Modi at his residence for about an hour around noon, after a visit to the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. A member of the team said she had felt "safer here than anywhere else. We don't feel any threat here in Gujarat. We didn't need armoured cars or weapons, we were like ordinary commuters. We feel confident doing business here."Mr Modi spoke about the fast, inclusive and environment-friendly process of development in Gujarat, an official statement said. "With hard work, we have been able to create an impact in the country," the Chief Minister told the US team.Mr Schock said people in the US were keen to work with Gujarat and were impressed by the way the state had facilitated investment. After Mr Modi's third consecutive victory in the 2012 assembly elections, Mr Schock had made a statement in the US House of Representatives congratulating the Gujarat Chief Minister.In December, just days before Mr Modi won Gujarat yet again, a group of American lawmakers had urged the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to continue denying visa to the BJP leader, stating that his government had not adequately pursued justice for the 2002 Gujarat riot victims.The Republican administration of George Bush had denied Mr Modi entry to America in 2005, saying he was ineligible for visa under a section that deals with violation of religious freedom. Last month, US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake indicated in a television interview that the US policy on visa for Mr Modi had not changed.

The Gujarat Chief Minister has repeatedly pointed out that he has not sought to visit the US after 2005.The European Union (EU) recently ended its decade-long boycott of Mr Modi. EU ambassadors invited Mr Modi for lunch in January and said "we are now in a new phase."