London: Describing India as a sleeping giant, the Opposition Conservative Party has said that the UK has enormous interest in becoming involved in India's economic development.

"India is an extraordinary country and a great Democracy," Michael Ancram, Deputy Leader and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said.

At a well-attended reception hosted by India's High Commissioner Ronen Sen on the margins of the Conservative Party's annual conference at Blackpool, Ancram said, "India being a sleeping giant, is coming awake and beginning to realise its economic potential. UK has an enormous interest in becoming involved in India's economic development."

Present at the reception were a number of senior Conservative Party leaders. They included Nigel Evans, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Quentin Davies, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Gray, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Simon Burns and Tim Loughton, Shadow Ministers for Health, Dominic Grieve, Shadow Minister in the Home Office, three Opposition Whips, Mark Field, David Wilshire and Hugh Robertson.

PTI