New Delhi: “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad, a view of the majestic Taj Mahal at Agra, and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi — all in 36 hours. United States President Donald Trump has a packed schedule the moment he lands in India on Monday morning.
This is Mr Trump’s first visit to India as President. Mr Modi on Sunday tweeted that India was looking forward to welcoming Mr Trump. “It is an honour that he will be with us tomorrow, starting with the historic programme in Ahmedabad,” the Prime Minister tweeted, tagging Mr Trump.
The US President too has been saying that he is “looking forward to being with my great friends in India”. Both Delhi and Ahmedabad will see major traffic curbs for the visit, and hotels in these two cities have been brought under extensive security cover. Snipers and anti-sabotage teams, etc. will be atop the buildings of Mr Trump’s route.
On Monday, President Trump’s tour begins with a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad from where he will go to the newly-built Sardar Patel cricket stadium in Motera where he and the Prime Minister will address a packed gathering for the “Namaste Trump” event.
President Trump, wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner will later visit the Taj Mahal before reaching Delhi late on Monday evening. The Taj Mahal and its surroundings have been given a facelift.
President Trump’s official engagements will begin on Tuesday after a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat. At Hyderabad House, he will meet with the Prime Minister. They will discuss trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism, and energy security. The proposed peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the situation in the Indo-Pacific and cross-border terrorism will also figure in the discussions.
This session will be followed by an exchange of agreements and press statements. New deals in the energy and defence sectors are expected to be signed, and the two sides will review agreements signed during the Prime Minister’s visit to US. Mr Modi will then host a lunch.
In the evening, Mr Trump will meet President Ramnath Kovind, who is hosting a banquet for him, before flying out. In between, President Trump is likely to attend a meeting of business leaders and interact with the US Embassy staff in New Delhi.
An energy deal worth $2.5 billion between India’s Petronet LNG and America’s Tellurian is on the cards, as is a fresh pact between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse, for the supply of six 1100MW nuclear reactors at Kovv-ada in Andhra Pradesh.
