SABARMATI SUSPENSE
TAJ SCORES OVER SABARMATI? MEA confirms Trump visit to Motera stadium and Agra the same day but mum on trip to Ashram
The much-hyped Gujarat visit of President Donald Trump may get truncated with the Ministry of External Affairs not giving definite confirmation of his visit to Sabarmati Ashram.
Asked specifically about the Sabarmati visit, the MEA spokesperson said that some elements of his Gujarat trip were still to be finalised. ‘‘As and when it happens, we will share it with you,’’ was the cryptic oneliner from the spokesperson.
Nonetheless, the visit to Motera stadium in Ahmedabad holds good, though the road show may get curtailed, and the President will leave for Agra the same day.
That, in turn, has the media circles abuzz with observers suggesting that the visit to Taj Mahal has taken precedence over his visit to Sabarmati Ashram.
The MEA also justified the eyebrow- raising expenditure on Trump’s visit by citing well-established principles of reciprocity.
The ministry also dismissed the suggestion that India was offering a political platform to a foreign leader, by hosting the ‘Namaste Trump’ event.
Replying to a question, spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, ‘‘I don’t think, we view this joint address by the two leaders as directly intended to influence the internal politics of US. Even in the past, several US presidents have held events in India, although on a much smaller scale.” HUNDREDS OF buses to ferry required numbers at the stadium – 1.5 lakh. THIS MEANS ferrying people from various parts of the state. MANY WILL reach past midnight and trudge to the stadium at 7 am, since no vehicles will be allowed in the vicinity. SUCH IS the paranoia that 24 flower pots, where the metal detector beeped, were emptied of the soil content. AHMEDABAD MUNICIPAL Corporation officials marked for duty at the 100 or so toilets.
SPG chief Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer, is already in Ahmedabad and has got down to work, spreading a cast-iron cloak of security cover over the city.