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.
Comments
He earned lot of money through spreading false news. After getting lot of money. now he decided to start his own to suck BJP.
I think the center has given him the cooked story to prepare himself before the Bhopal fake encounter case to bohw bohw on the news-hour....thats y he resigns it seems....now he knows the real fact of the feku......Allah will give him Hidaya...
Who ever speaks for Mr .Modi will get XYZ Security. Soon Anupum Kher will also get same facility.Ordinary People work hard and pay TAX. But our Modi Govt uses for all these useless people's Security.
India is Growing India is Shining.
LET HIM GO... WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE REASON... I DON'T.... AND PLZ TAKE AWAY HIS GOVT SECURITY... DONT WASTE OUR TAX MONEY ON SUCH PEOPLE ..............
Finally coward has resigned. Great news for our country's peace and prosperity.
Surely his bad time is nearing, AWASANA KALADALLY VIPAREETA BUDDI
He will start reading news in Khaki chaddi now
Definitely some thing worst expected from this fellow. Might be joined with some anti nation communal group. Other than that nothing nation will expect.
God save our media and the nation.
Jai Hind
Wasting Tax payers money on useless reporter's security.
He will start new channel. RSS now
He will start Patanjali Times with Baba Ramdev.
He is going to make a new news channel with Modi ....Fakes Now.....
Or next Modis spokesperson.....sure....
May be he read the QURAN and understood the REALITY on how EVILs in this world trap people by spilling out venom & by twisting the real FACT.
Arnab goswami where are. You? Nation is worried
When are you coming back
Arnab please come back soon... People are asking \itna sannata kyu hai bhai!!!\". I have not been able to focus at work, getting irritated quickly, not able to eat my dinner, getting sleepless nights.., please come back and tell the nation that you are not dumping all of us!!!
Your viewer from New York!"
MOHAN BHAGAT IS WAITING WITH HIS ARMS OPEN.
Thank god... Finally an end to noise pollution, after Diwali.
Peaceful new year ahead
thank God. Now Indian Journalism is saved from disaster . Work of journalist is to preach truth not to bark and fire in air
The viewers will miss his famous style of questioning the guest panelists: THE NATION WANTS TO KNOW!!!!!!!!
We miss your News hour . Waiting to see you launch a global channel.
He will start a new channel: Name will be TIMES BOW WOW
Crazy man!
Modi would take him in his cabinet.....cant say....\Birds of feather flock together\""
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