Govt dismisses criticism over huge expenditure for visit by US President Donald Trump

The Government led by Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre on Thursday dismissed the opposition Congress' criticism over expenditure of about Rs 120 crore from the state exchequer for United States President Donald Trump's forthcoming visit to Gujarat.

“We have to see any such visits in the context of protocol and security arrangements which have to be made,” Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said, when a journalist asked for his reaction to the reports that Gujarat Government would be spending over over Rs 120 crore for the visit of US President and his wife Melania Trump.

“And,” he added, “this is very reciprocal. When our Prime Minister visits abroad, we do expect such arrangements and facilitations to be done by other countries as well. I really don't understand (what is) the big deal here.”

The MEA spokesperson, however, declined to reply to the question, if the opposition leaders had been invited to the reception being held in honour of US President at a stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. He said that the event was being held by Donald Trump Nagrik Abhinandan Samiti, which would take a call on whom to invite.

Trump is scheduled to visit Ahmedabad, Agra and New Delhi next week as part of what is going to be his first visit to India after taking over as United States President in January 2017. He will be accompanied by the First Lady of the United States.

The opposition Congress on Thursday questioned the rationale of Gujarat Government spending a huge amount of money – purportedly about Rs 120 crore – for the visit of the US President.

“A certain amount of preparation from the protocol, security and logistics angle have to be made when you have a Head of State visiting your country. And preparations which are being made that has to be seen in that context,” said Kumar.

The Air Force One with US President and his wife will land at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad a little before noon on Monday. As their cavalcade will roll out of the airport for a newly-built cricket stadium across the Sabarmati River, the 22-kilometer-long road will have nearly one lakh people lined up on both sides to greet them. The government arranged an India Road Show with performances reflecting the cultural heritage of different states being performed on 28 podiums along the road.

A large number of people will also attend the “Namaste Trump” rally at the stadium. The rally will be much like the “Howdy! Modi” event, which was held at NRG Stadium in Houston in US on September 22 last year with Trump and Modi appearing before a cheering crowd of nearly 50000 Indian-Americans. Several US lawmakers – both from ruling Republican Party and from the opposition Democratic Party – attended the event.

The “Namaste Trump” rally will give Trump, who was earlier this month acquitted by the US Senate in an impeachment trial, an opportunity to reach out to Indian-Americans – not only the ones likely to be in attendance, but also the ones likely to watch it on TVs across the US eight months before he is about to seek re-election.

“We got excellent support from the US side during the Howdy Modi event. So this (arrangements made for US President's visit to Ahmedabad, Agra and New Delhi is something, which is reciprocal and which is part of the diplomatic norm which is extended to a visiting leader and that is how we look at it,” said the MEA spokesperson.