From Building Wall To Shutting Paan Shops: Absurd Things India's Doing To Welcome Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump, who is known for not making many official foreign visits, is going to make a rare exemption later this month when he will embark on a two-day visit to India.?
However, Trump has already given indications that there won't be a trade deal with India during his visit on February 24-25.?
On Tuesday, Trump said he wanted "a very big trade deal with India. I don't know if it will be done before the election. We're not treated very well by India, but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot."?
Despite this, the Modi government is leaving no stone unturned to make the two-day event a grand affair.And leading the charge is Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.?
Though Trump will spend only around three hours in Ahmedabad, the state is spending around Rs 80 crore to Rs 85 crore on preparations for the visit.This includes security arrangements and several beautification measures. As part of its beautification plan, the civic body will carry out a plantation drive along that route. It will also plant fully grown date palms along the Sabarmati Riverfront stretch. Authorities will spend Rs 60 million for this beautification drive.?
The beautification drive courted controversy after reports emerged that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is erecting a wall along the road connecting the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Indira Bridge to mask a slum in the city.?
Even as the move came under criticism, and was mocked widely including by the international media, the AMC went ahead and served eviction notices to 45 families living in a slum area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium.?
The slum is located alongside a road connecting Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar, around one-and-a-half kms away from the Motera stadium.PM Modi and Trump are scheduled to address over one lakh people at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera on February 24, as part of the "Namaste Trump" event.
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, which is also the largest cricket stadium in the world has a seating capacity of 1,10,000 people.Trump has been upbeat about the event and has said several times in the past few days that PM Modi has promised that there will be seven million people in the city to welcome him.?
Another 'beautification' step taken by the AMC is to seal paan shops at the airport circle to avoid people spitting on the walls.?
Other than Ahmedabad and national capital Delhi, another city Trump is set to visit is Agra in Uttar Pradesh, the home of the Taj Mahal.Since the Taj is located on the banks of River Yamuna, one of the most polluted water bodies in the country, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganagar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra.?
"Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganagar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said.According to officials, this move is likely to reduce the "foul smell" from the Yamuna.?
While these are all 'official' measures there are others who are equally or maybe more excited to see the US President in India.?
One of them is Bussa Krishna, a farmer from Telangana.Krishna has worshipped Trump ever since the New York real estate mogul appeared to him in a dream four years ago and he even fasts on every Friday for Trump's long life.?
He has even transformed his home into a Trump shrine, where he has installed a life-size statue of the US President. He has requested the Indian government to fulfill his wish of meeting Donald Trump during his 2-day visit, which in all likelihood will remain a wish.?
Another group who cannot hide their excitement are members of the Hindu Sena, a right-wing fringe group. They have begun rehearsing a welcome song in his honour.Its members say Donald Trump shares their hatred of Islamic extremism, and it has drawn attention for boisterous celebrations of his birthday, including pretending to feed cake to photos of his face."We like Donald Trump because he openly spoke about India's feelings," Hindu Sena leader Vishnu Gupta told Reuters.?
"...He openly said that he would eliminate Islamic terrorism from its roots, that is why I am his fan."For the past few years, members of Hindu Sena have celebrated the birthday of the American President in Delhi's Jantar Mantar with grand ceremony and cake cutting.? ? ? ??
