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Preparations for US President Donald Trump’s first ever India visit are underway, with a mega event being organised at Motera Stadium in Ahmadabad and a visit to the Taj Mahal. The US President and First Lady Melania Trump will be in the country on 24 and 25 February.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may personally receive the couple when Air Force One touches down at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad a little before noon on Monday, 24 February.
The two leaders will hold a 22-kilometre roadshow, starting at the airport and culminating at the Motera stadium where Trump will address the “Namaste Trump” event.
Security arrangements for the US President are already underway as security vehicles have been seen arriving in Ahmedabad.
Day 1: Roadshow, Namaste Trump Event, Sabarmati Ashram
The two leaders will hold a 22-kilometre roadshow, starting at the airport and commencing at the Motera stadium where Trump will address the “Namaste Trump” event.
The route is expected to have tens of thousands of ordinary citizens as well as artistes showcasing performing art from different states and union territories of India, according to Foreign Secretary S Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
As many as 28 stages representing the various parts of the country are being set up along the route, in what is being called the India Road Show. The route will also feature decorations depicting different events in the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
The first day of the visit may also include a stop at the Sabarmati Ashram, where the leaders may spend up to 15 minutes. President Trump will be gifted a spinning wheel, two books on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi and a sketch portrait of Gandhi during his visit to ashram, reports India Today.
According to sources, the President and the First Lady may even try their hand on the spinning wheel kept near 'Hriday Kunj', a cottage inside the ashram where Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba once resided.
Over 1.25 lakh people are expected to greet the US President at the Motera stadium where the event will be held. The event name, Namaste Trump, is a callback to the event, Howdy Modi, organised to receive PM Modi when he visited Texas in September 2019.
The event will also include cultural performances and Bollywood celebrities are also expected to attend the event.
After the event, PM Modi will host a lunch for the dignitaries after which the US President and First Lady will fly to Agra, where they will spend about an hour at the Taj Mahal before the sunset.
Final inspections for the Taj Mahal are underway, with UP CM Yogi Adityanath also paying a visit to the monument for inspection.
Day 2: Press Conference, Gandhi Memorial, CEO Summit
On Tuesday, 25 February morning, President Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to participate in an open-press welcome ceremony at the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
From there, President Trump and the First Lady would go to Rajghat to pay respects at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. After the memorial, they will head to Hyderabad House for bilateral meetings and lunch.
“The talks will be comprehensive and cover issues relating to our strategic partnership in the areas of defence, security, counter-terrorism, as well as trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges and other bilateral matters,” according to the foreign secretary.
Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch for President Trump following the talks. The two leaders will be then making a joint press statement.
After the press conference, the President and his delegation will visit the US Embassy for a CEO meeting, attended by top business leaders of the country.
The meeting will reportedly focus on how best to increase economic cooperation between the two countries.
A photo-op with US Embassy staff is scheduled after the CEO summit and Trump will later attend a state banquet dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind,
Soon after the state banquet, the US delegation will leave for the airport and depart from New Delhi around 10 pm.
(With inputs from India Today and NDTV)
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