The Ahamadabad municipal corporation has built a four-foot-high wall to hide a stretch of slums on the American leader’s route. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to inaugurate and share the stage at Ahmedabad’s Motera cricket stadium at a public reception being touted as “Namaste Trump” on Feb. 24.
Slum dwellers are accusing the government of building a wall to “hide poor people” ahead of Trump’s visit.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday he expects some seven million people at the stadium and lining the streets to greet him at the start of his two-day trip. According to census data, which is nearly a decade old, the city’s population was 5.5 million though more recent estimates put it at over seven million.
The event follows PM Modi’s trip to the U.S. in September where he walked hand-in-hand with the U.S. president at a rock-concert like affair at a Houston football stadium. The “Howdy Modi” extravaganza was seen as an endorsement of Trump in front of more than 50,000 Indian Americans — an influential voter base.
The wall in Ahmedabad, the largest city in PM Modi’s home state of Gujarat, has been the subject of some ridicule in the Indian press and on social media. The municipal corporation, however, said on Wednesday the decision to build the wall was taken well ahead of Trump’s visit.
“The decision to build a four-feet wall was taken two months ago to prevent encroachments on the footpath and road,” Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra said on Twitter.The Motera stadium can seat some 100,000 and is said to be the world’s largest cricket stadium.
The extravaganza comes during an election year for Trump and as Modi grapples with a sputtering economy and growing social unrest against his government’s aggressive push for new policies seen by many as discriminating against Muslims.
meanwhile paan (beetle leaf) shops have also been sealed to ensure that cleanliness is maintained.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sealed three paan shops near the airport and they will remain sealed until further notice. The shop owners have been warned with legal action if they try to remove the seals.
The report suggested the step was taken to ensure that the roads and walls in the vicinity of Ahmedabad Airport look aesthetically appealing and are not stained by paan stains
