Trump likely to open Motera stadium in Ahmedabad

Tuesday 21st January 2020 15:06 EST
 
 

Speculation is rife that US President Donald Trump during his three-day tour of India, next month or in the first week of March, may also visit Gujarat and inaugurate the new Motera stadium, the world's largest cricketing arena. According to officials in the state government, PM Narendra Modi and President Trump are likely to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium together during the US President’s coming visit to India. Trump may also visit the Statue of Unity during his India visit.

If it happens, this will be the first instance of a serving US President visiting Gujarat. Top ruling party sources said PM Modi and President Trump jointly inaugurating the Motera stadium would be a fitting reciprocation for the Indian PM’s ‘Howdy Modi’ event in the US last September. The new stadium, built at the cost of about£80 million, is almost complete.

Top government sources said an informal communication was received from the government of India, asking the state government to make necessary arrangements for a possible visit by the US President along with PM Modi. “We have been told by Centre that both leaders will be in Ahmedabad for a day and will take part in the inauguration ceremony of the new Motera stadium. This could happen between February 15 and 22,” a top government source said.

Significantly, PM Modi has confirmed his participation in the ‘13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CMS COP13) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)’, which will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar between February 15 and 22. The convention, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be attended by delegates from more than 120 countries.

Officials in the government are not ruling out the possibility of Trump kicking off his India tour by first visiting Gujarat. “Like the Chinese president, Japanese PM and other leaders, who began their India visits by first visiting Gujarat, the US president is also likely to first visit Gujarat before the bilateral talks are held in Delhi. The US president’s Gujarat visit will focus on cultural ties,” a top government official said.

Sources said, “The BJP cadre has been asked to galvanise the NRI division and bodies like the Overseas Friends of the BJP in the US to ensure that a large number of Gujarati-origin US residents visit India during Trump’s visit. The BJP aims to have more than 100,000 persons attend the stadium inauguration.

Several top world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japan PM Shinzo Abe, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, former US secretary of state John Kerry and other leaders have visited Gujarat after Modi took over as PM in 2014.


comments powered by Disqus



to the free, weekly Asian Voice email newsletter