US President Donald Trump’s two-day visit to India got off to a rousing start and the bonhomie between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reflected in his speech at Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad. The president was wowed by the majestic Taj Mahal and was engaged in a series of photo ops.
The thousands of hoardings and posters of Trump and Modi that dotted the city was a display of grandeur. The government left no stone unturned in providing a picture-perfect feel of India, trying its best to camouflage the bitter reality that dots the country. A wall was built to hide the slum area near Agra, while a massive detox of Yamuna was done so that the usual whiff of sewage doesn’t raise the usual stink. A cattle and dog nuisance control team was operating along a 3-km radius so that there are no roadblocks by cows and dogs usually encountered on India roads.
Trump is impressed with the rousing welcome and the hospitality, and perhaps he has parroted lines which are in Modi’s comfort. He spoke about a tolerant India while completely ignoring issues like CAA and NCR which are currently tearing into communal harmony. And even when he was speaking in Ahmedabad, India’s capital Delhi which is his destination for the second day is rocked by violence. The fierce protests have claimed three lives. Trump spoke about the astonishing natural wonders of India and referred to the rugged peaks of Himalayas and ‘splendid shores’ of Goa. Little does the president know that Goa’s shores are fast losing its charm and the western world is no longer interested in its beaches. The US president highlights that every Indian village has access to electricity when the reality is that crores of people are still burning the midnight oil. The talk was about basic sanitation and lifting people out of extreme poverty when on the ground there are crores of people defecating in the open and even a higher number of those who cannot get one square meal a day. On a different note, there were thousands gathered who didn’t understand English and had no clue on what Trump spoke.
Trump heaped lavish praise on Modi and played to the packed galleries akin to India’s prime minister’s pitch for the US president at the Howdy Modi show in Houston last year. The political undertones were distinctly visible. Such warmth and back-patting are not new between India and the US. If we may recall Barak Obama during his tenure as president and Modi showed similar camaraderie with much of the talk remaining mere rhetoric.
The US president now moves into day-2 of his visit with crucial business on the agenda. Trump announced a $3 billion military deal with India, and there is support for space exploration on the cards. However, much of the success will be gauged on a breakthrough in trade barriers. Trump has called Modi a tough negotiator. In a give-and-take situation, India’s gain rests here.
