Ahmedabad, Feb 24: US President Donald Trump arrived in Ahmedabad on Monday for the first leg of his India trip.
The Air Force One plane carrying Trump and his wife Melania landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport here at 11.37 am, officials said.
It was scheduled to land at 11.40 am.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Ahmedabad over an hour before Trump did, was present at the airport to welcome the US president at the airport.
In Ahmedabad, Trump will visit Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, take part in a roadshow with Modi and jointly address over one lakh people at a cricket stadium, before heading for Agra to see the iconic Taj Mahal with Melania.
Trump, who is also accompanied by daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and top brass of his administration, will get a taste of India's cultural melange during his high- optics Gujarat itinerary, after the bonhomie between the two leaders at the 'Howdy, Modi!' event in Houston last year.
The US president and Modi will participate in a roadshow from the airport to Sabarmti Ashram and from there to the newly-built Motera cricket stadium, where over a lakh people are expected to be present for the 'Namaste Trump' event.
Dance groups and singers from different parts of the country will be performing on stages that are dotting the 22- km route of the 'India roadshow' in the city.
Huge billboards of the two leaders and replicas of historic places in Gujarat have also been placed along the roads where people will greet the two leaders.
Over 10,000 police personnel, besides officials of the United States Secret Service, and personnel of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) have been deployed for the high profile visit.
The seventh US president to visit India, Trump on Sunday retweeted a video in which his face was superimposed on the hit Indian movie-character Bahubali, showing him as a great saviour.
Modi will accompany Trump to the Sabarmati Ashram, which was home to Mahatma Gandhi from 1917-1930 during India's freedom struggle.
Several world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have visited Sabarmati Ashram in recent years.
Ashram secretary Amrut Modi said Trump will spend 15 minutes at the place.
"Trump will visit the 'Hriday Kunj'. If he wishes, he will spin a charkha (spinning wheel). We will also gift him a coffee-table book, and a book containing 150 quotations of Gandhi," the Ashram official said.
Hriday Kunj is a room on the Ashram premises where Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi had lived for 12 years between 1918 and 1930.
The official said the US President would be briefed about Gandhiji and the importance of charkha as a symbol of self-reliance.
There will be a cultural extravaganza at the Motera stadium during the 'Namaste Trump' event, where Trump and Modi will address the gathering.
Bollywood singer Kailash Kher and some Gujarati folk singers will perform at the stadium, officials of the Gujarat Cricket Association said.
Students of various government and private schools have also been roped in to perform at cultural events and they have been practicing for days, an official said.
Billboards with slogans hailing Indo-US relations and having pictures of Trump and Modi walking together, shaking hands, and waving at the crowd during the 'Howdy Modi' event are dotting the city.
Police have launched a hunt for Mohammed Shahnawaz, a student of Milagres Collge, who went absconding after thrashing Rev Fr Michael Santumayar, the principal of the same college, near his chamber on Thursday for denying him hall ticket on grounds of attendance shortage.
Comments
he should be hanged ,
This boy who assaulted the Principal should be given the severest punishment - a lesson to all not to think of such crime in their dream also. However, some BORN dirty filthy generation of people brought religion here. These scums forgot what their religion is - Who raped Tulsmi Mata, who kidnapped Rukmini, Who killed Sambhuka, why they push the widow to burning fire, one girl is married to one brother - the rest of male start sharing her why??? Why wife's sister is half wife and husband's brother is half-husband to you - Why do you force Dalit women pray naked? Are you animals or worse than them??
action is to be condemned , but sensible people will not bring religion into this. This Boy will be put in jail shortly and punished as per IPC.
It is in his blood...so what else we can expect....they don't give respect for women ...for them women means property....even don't teach sanskar ...just they train how to steal, stab and cheat ...once they reach adulthood they get him bike and hanky panky shirts and pants. One apple iPhone ...next day these guys will be on jihad in front of colleges with sole aim of increasing population. ..why this community never produces quality world class scientists .this is the main reason .
@Sangeet
completely agree with your thoughts. I pray Almighty Allah to guide you to adopt the teachings of the religion of peace.
Ladies n gentlemen... don't bring religion for individuals action... shame on u ppl for vomiting venom on a particular religion whenever u get opportunity.... anyway these kinds of ur negative propoganda never let down Islam rather its spreading rapidly.
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