Trump to visit Sabarmati Ashram
Officials say ashram put back on itinerary after MEA convinces US of its symbolic importance; First Lady Melania Trump, PM Modi to accompany US President for a 15-minute visit
› India looks forward to welcoming @POTUS. It is an honour that he will be with us tomorrow, starting with the historic programme in Ahmedabad!
NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister
AHMEDABAD:After several days of confusion, a visit to the iconic Sabarmati Ashram is back on US President Donald Trump’s itinerary for Ahmedabad, people familiar with developments said on Sunday.
The US side had been reluctant to making the ashram a part of the schedule for the first leg of the US president’s maiden visit to India for various factors, including security concerns and the limited time slotted for the stopover in Ahmedabad.
Immediately after participating in the “Namaste Trump” rally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the president is scheduled to fly to Agra so that he and First Lady Melania Trump can spend about an hour at the Taj Mahal before sunset. Some authorities felt a visit to the river-front ashram could throw the tight schedule out of gear.
With no confirmation from the US side regarding a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram till Saturday, a person familiar with planning for the visit said on condition of anonymity that the external affairs ministry reached out to the US side to convince it of the symbolic importance of visiting the ashram, given Mahatma Gandhi’s close association with Ahmedabad and his key role in India’s freedom movement.
Another person, who too declined to be identified, confirmed on Sunday that Trump would visit the Sabarmati Ashram with Modi shortly after flying into Ahmedabad on Monday afternoon. “Sabarmati Ashram is back on the itinerary,” said the person cited above.
Trump and his motorcade will travel from the airport to the ashram before going to Motera Stadium, where he and Modi will address the “Namaste Trump” event expected to be attended by more than 100,000 people.
Three chairs have been set up under a tree on the Sabarmati riverside for Trump, the first
lady and Modi. Trump is expected to spend about 15 minutes at the ashram, going round the complex and visiting the humble home in which Mahatma Gandhi lived. On the riverbank opposite the ashram, a massive billboard, featuring the images of Trump, Melania and Modi, has been put up.
Security at the ashram, which was closed to the public from 6.30 pm on Sunday, is being monitored by officials from state and central agencies along with the US Secret Service.
The Sabarmati Ashram, which was the first ashram started by Mahatma Gandhi in India after his return from South Africa, moved to its current location in Ahmedabad in 1915. Also known as the Harijan Ashram, it served as home to Gandhi between 1917 and 1930.
According to the ashram’s official website, it was created with the dual mission of serving as an institution that would carry on the search for truth and to act as a platform to bring together workers committed to non-violence who could secure India’s freedom. “Today, the ashram serves as a source of inspiration and guidance, and stands as a monument to Gandhi’s life mission and a testimony to others who have fought a similar struggle,” the website states.
Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited the ashram on Sunday to review the arrangements for the visit.