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    India Calling! Melania Trump is 'excited' about visit to Ahmedabad, thanks Modi in tweet

    Synopsis

    The US First Lady says that the visit will 'celebrate close ties' between the 2 nations.

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    A grand welcome has been planned in Modi's home state Gujarat for the Trumps' two-day tour which also happens to be their first state visit to India. (June 2017 file photo: Twitter/MelaniaTrump)
    The Trumps are coming to India, and the excitement seems palpable, at least on Twitter. Melania Trump added to the hype surrounding the US President Donald Trump's forthcoming visit with a tweet on Wednesday saying that the couple is "excited for the trip & to celebrate close ties between the USA & India."

    Acknowledging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation, the US First Lady quoted his tweet and said that she is "Looking forward to visiting Ahmedabad & New Dehli later this month. (sic)"


    The PM, 'delighted' about the couple's visit, had tweeted on Wednesday morning that "India will accord a memorable welcome to our esteemed guests."

    A grand welcome has been planned in Modi's home state Gujarat for the Trumps' two-day tour which also happens to be their first state visit to India. They will land in Ahmedabad on February 24, and the US president said that he "expects a massive welcome by millions of people when he lands in the city." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to receive him at the Ahmedabad airport, and people are expected to crowd the streets to greet the motorcade from the airport to Sabarmati Ashram, Trump’s first stop in the city. Trump will be accorded a ceremonial welcome when he reaches Delhi for the second leg of his visit the next day.

    “He (PM Modi) said we’ll have millions and millions ...He thinks we’ll have 5-7 million people from the airport to the new (Motera) stadium,” Trump said on Tuesday, confirming his India trip, while suggesting his rallies in the US would pale in comparison to the one he anticipates in India.

    “He (Modi) is a great gentleman. He is a friend of mine,” Trump added.
    The US President and his wife will reach Delhi where he and PM Modi will hold talks on February 25.AFP
    The US President and his wife will reach Delhi where he and PM Modi will hold talks on February 25.

    Modi will accompany Trump around the Sabarmati Ashram, including Hriday Kunj, where Mahatma Gandhi lived. Both leaders will attend the ‘inauguration’ of the revamped Motera stadium, officially named the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, now the largest cricket stadium in the world. The duo will hold a ‘Kem Chho Trump’ event, on the lines of 'Howdy Modi' held in Houston, in the stadium which has a capacity to accommodate 1.25 lakh people.

    The US President and his wife will reach Delhi where he and PM Modi will hold talks on February 25. The couple is expected to check in to the National Capital's ITC Maurya, a part of which has been revamped for the state visit.

    ​The Trumps' are expected to check-into ITC Maurya. (Image: .itchotels.i​n)
    The Trumps' are expected to stay at the ITC Maurya. (Image: .itchotels.in)

    The last US President to get a rousing street-level public reception in India was Dwight Eisenhower in December 1959. He was welcomed at the Delhi airport by then President Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Nehru, Vice-President Radhakrishnan and the entire Union Cabinet before being driven to Rashtrapati Bhavan with thousands thronging the streets.


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