Agra recalls visit of Eisenhower with Nehru

While the historic town of Agra in Uttar Pradesh is all set to welcome US President Donald Trump today, people here recalled the visit of 34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959 along with first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

A rare picture of Eisenhower along with Nehru to the Taj Mahal in an open car was clicked by Fine Arts studio, founded in 1937. “The picture of the US President with our first Prime Minister was clicked by my uncle, who founded the studio before independence,” said Surendra Sharma, the current owner of the studio. “I was a small child then and my uncle - who had done a course in photography from the US – clicked that picture,” he said. At that time children with flags in their hand stood on the sides of the MG road to welcome the dignitaries, he said. “So many guests walked to have a view of Taj Mahal. But Nehruji brought Eisenhower to the historic monument in an open car,” Sharma recalled.

Trump to visit Sabarmati Ashram with Modi

US President Donald Trump will visit the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat today, city Police Commissioner Ashish Bhatia confirmed yesterday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany Trump to the ashram, which is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi and India’s freedom struggle, in the midst of their joint roadshow from the international airport. “Trump will arrive at the Ahmedabad International Airport at around 11:30am. It was already announced that Trump will land here directly here from Washington. At the airport, he will be given the guard of honour,” Bhatia said while addressing reporters. “Trump will then proceed for the Sabarmati Ashram which he would be visiting for a very short time. From the Ashram, Trump will resume the roadshow, and reach the Motera stadium via Indira bridge,” the police commissioner said.

US becomes India’s top trading partner

The US has surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner. According to data from the commerce ministry, in 2018-19, bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $87.95 billion. During the period, India’s two-way commerce with China aggregated at $87.07 billion. Similarly, during April-December 2019, the bilateral trade stood at $68 billion, while it stood at $64.96 billion with China in the same period. Trade experts believe the trend will continue in the coming years as New Delhi and Washington engage further in deepening economic ties. In 2018-19, India had a trade surplus of $16.85 billion with America, while it had a deficit of $53.56 billion with China.

Airlines ask passengers to arrive 3 hours before departure

A day ahead of US President Donald Trump’s arrival in Ahmedabad, various airlines have issued an advisory for February 24 – asking passengers to arrive the airport three hours prior to the scheduled departure of their flights. This has been done keeping in view of the heavy traffic congestion due to blocked roads in the city. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Ahmedabad yesterday to review the final preparations for Trump’s visit. Passengers have been asked to keep a tab on live traffic and to carry a hard copy of their itinerary and photo-ID to access the blocked roads. “We expect heavy traffic, roadblocks and stringent security checks en route Ahmedabad Airport between 8am and 4pm on Monday, owing to VVIP movement,” SpiceJet said in a statement. Air carriers Vistara and IndiGo have also issued a similar traffic advisory, asking passengers to report three hours prior to the departure at the airport.

What will Trump talk about in India?

India-Pakistan talks

US President Donald Trump will urge both India and Pakistan to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and refrain from actions or statements that could increase tensions in the region. “What you’ll hear from the president is very much encouraging a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan, encouraging the two countries to engage in bilateral dialogue with each other to resolve their differences,” a senior Trump administration official briefing the media on the visit said in Washington.

Maintain peace in Afghanistan

Asked if Trump would ask for Indian troops to maintain peace in Afghanistan after US troops leave the war-ravaged country once a peace deal with the Taliban was implemented, the US official said: “We would just encourage India, as we are all regional countries, to do whatever it can to support this peace process so that it can be successful and we can potentially end 19 years of military, diplomatic, economic engagement.”

Liberalised trade regime

Tensions on the trade front between the two countries had emerged in June last year, after Trump revoked preferential trade privileges, in response to which India imposed tariffs on 28 US products. Despite several bilateral meetings, trade negotiators of the two countries are yet to finalise a trade deal even after 18 months. Prior to Trump’s visit, US administration officials raised concerns over India’s protectionist policy, adding that the “Make in India” campaign makes the discussion on trade difficult.

State of religious freedom in India

The senior administration official said that President Trump would also talk about the two countries’ shared traditions of democracy and religious freedom when he meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He will raise these issues, particularly the religious freedom issue, which is extremely important to this administration. And I think that the president will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities,” the official said.