US Ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi today

Gandhinagar, Feb 13: US Ambassador to India

will meet NDA's prime ministerial candidate and

Chief Minister

at 9.45 am on Thursday. The

's warming up to Modi, who it had denied a visa in 2005 on grounds of the Gujarat riots in 2002, is seen as a significant development.

Powell would also meet the leader of opposition in the Gujarat assembly, Shankersinh Vaghela.

Observers view this USA's reaching out to Modi as a significant development

The US ambassador reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening and will attend a couple of events in pandit Deen Dayal petroleum University and an event organised by the SEWA following his meeting with Modi.

Sourcs in the US, however, played down the high-profile visit, terming it as a part of its routine exercise of political outreach. State department spokesperson Jen Peski said there has been no change in their policy on Modi per se.

[Read: Is USA's U-turn a signal of Modi's likely victory in 2014 election?]

OneIndia News