Rally with Indian PM Narendra Modi and tour of Taj Mahal: Donald Trump's first day visit in India

Rally with Indian PM Narendra Modi and tour of Taj Mahal: Donald Trump's first day visit in India

They were greeted by roaring multitudes, a fiesta of culture and a virtual show for the stars - high on sound and sight but low on substance.

RK MisraUpdated: Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 08:05 AM IST
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2R) greets US President Donald Trump upon his arrival at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad | (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

Ahmedabad: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania touched down in Ahmedabad on Monday, embarking on their fleeting two-day visit.

They were greeted by roaring multitudes, a fiesta of culture and a virtual show for the stars - high on sound and sight but low on substance.

They left for Agra three hours later to hold hands before the monument of love, under a setting sun.

The couple was formally received by PM Modi who had arrived an hour earlier. He greeted the visiting President with a resounding hug. Later the distinguished visitors drove down to Sabarmati ashram where they were enlightened on the nuances of India’s freedom struggle and the persona of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

The two walked around Hridaykunj, the Mahatma’s humble living quarters and briefly even sat on the floor at his spinning wheel where he made the khadi cloth that he wore.

Trump’s remarks in the visitors’ book were, however, only paeans of praise for Modi and carried no mention of the Mahatma.

‘‘To my great friend, Prime Minister Modi, thank you for this wonderful visit”, Trump wrote and scrawled his long looped signature. The icing on the cake, however, remained the crowd that packed the 1.10 lakh capacity Motera stadium where the US president held forth for almost half an hour after PM Modi opened up on the rising level of Indo-US friendship, which had graduated to a more personal, family level in the Trump presidency.

It was a huge sprawling wave of white at the stadium, marked by the caps worn by the attendant mass with the Indian salutation of “Namaste Trump” emblazoned on it.

If Trump revelled in the overawing mass turnout, the crowd too clapped at the effusive praise that was showered on their leader by the first citizen of the world’s most powerful country.

The two leaders had first embraced, holding up their hands high as Modi thrice chanted “Namaste Trump” and recited an ode to Indo-US friendship to matching roars from the crowd.

That the crowd had him in thrall became evident as Trump began his address saying ‘‘from this day on, India will forever hold a special place in our hearts’’ as he went on to express his country’s abiding love for India.

Holding out Modi as an example of hard work and devotion, he went on to say that with such qualities and devotion Indians can accomplish anything and everything they want.

As Trump continued to extoll the virtues of the Indian prime minister, the crowd, which had been brought from all parts of the state in requisitioned buses, clapped in glee at the effusive praise of the son of the soil.

He enumerated how Modi’s efforts in rural development, infrastructure and making electricity available to the villages of the country would go a long way in reducing poverty in the country.

ON TRADE: ‘‘People love him but he is really very tough,” Trump said to appreciative clapping, in obvious reference to trade talks which have been going on between the two countries. “It is still early stage but I am sure a very big trade deal will come through in time,” Trump said.

As most visitors are prone to, the US President praised India for its progress and dominant democratic fibre, for being a peaceful and tolerant country and expressed optimism of expanding ties between them to newer levels. ‘

‘This will be achieved through growing partnership and increased cooperation,’’ he added.

Trump pointed out that India’s rise and dynamic growth was in stark contrast to countries that acquire power through aggression and seek growth through coercive means.

‘‘The US and India are working together to remove radical Islamic terror. Today the Islamic state (ISIS) has been wiped out and its head Al-Bagdadi has been killed”, Trump said to resounding clapping.

But he elicited no reaction from the attendees when he referred to working in tandem with good friend Pakistan to curb terrorism.

Trump was effusive in self-praise as well when he stated that unemployment in his country was at a record low. ‘‘We make the world’s most advanced and fearful weapon system and now we look forward to a 3 billion dollar agreement with India in this field”, he added.

The absence of any mention of a trade deal during the talks scheduled for Tuesday before he ends his visit of India indicates that the defence deal may be the only fruitful outcome of the present visit.

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