Washington wonders at India's political divide

A previously successful campaign by US-based Indian academics that led to an invitation for Modi to give a video address to Wharton University in Pennsylvania being withdrawn, backfired when it immediately inspired a similar invitation, with the Chief Minister speaking to sell-out audiences in more than a dozen American cities.

Modi has already welcomed US trade delegations to Gujarat, which is responsible for one quarter of India's total exports, and the American business community is clear in its desire to see any blocks to future opportunities removed. The feeling that the ban, in place since 2005, is an anachronism, is growing in Washington, with several member of Congress on record as saying it should be lifted.

The very fact that a domestic Indian political row has been taken to Washington has perplexed some American commentators with the Washington Post suggesting that most Indian politicians were "bristling at the very thought of it".

Modi himself seems at pains to remain remote from the dispute, ignoring it in recent speeches which have been all about the need to reinvigorate the country's stalling economy.

"The Indian economy is suffering from policy paralysis and lack of optimism," he said at a recent business forum.

"But I am confident that with the right kind of decisions, we can once again generate hope and confidence and turn around our economy."

A workaholic from humble origins who writes poetry and is known to pursue a frugal lifestyle - and the only politician who can guarantee to fill every arena in which he chooses to speak - Modi is leaving the question of whether he can or cannot go to the US for others to decide.

When pressed about the continuing ban he says he has no current plans to visit the US and when he has his office will apply for a visa and await developments.

If that application should come from a future Prime Minister Modi, it could cause severe embarrassment in Washington, should the ban still be in place.