Canadian PM Justin Trudeau 3rd head of state to visit Gujarat in six months

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who has already embarked on a week-long official visit to India — will be the third foreign head of government in the past six months to visit Gujarat after Japanese PM Shinzo Abe last year and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu last month.

Trudeau will be visiting Gujarat — Modi’s home state — on Monday where he will visit the Sabarmati Ashram, the Akshardham Temple and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad for an interaction with students on education opportunities. But there will apparently be one crucial difference.

While Narendra Modi accompanied both Abe and Netanyahu to Gujarat where roadshows were held, he is not scheduled to accompany Trudeau to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, as per the schedule worked out. Sources confirmed that Modi will not be accompanying the Canadian PM to Gujarat but pointed out that it is not necessary that he should accompany every foreign head of government who visits the state.

Trudeau will be holding delegation-level talks with Modi on Friday.

Trudeau, who reached India on Saturday and visited the Taj Mahal on Sunday, will be visiting Mumbai on Tuesday, Amritsar on Wednesday where he will visit the Golden Temple and will be in the Capital on both Thursday and Friday.