Don of a new era

India hopes that the Trump visit will cement bilateral ties further, going beyond the hype and the numbers

- MANDIRA NAYAR AND K. SUNIL THOMAS

Size does matter for US President Donald Trump. On February 24, Ahmedabad will outdo Houston when the biggest stadium in the world hosts the most powerful man in the world in what is touted as the greatest show on earth.

The cost of the show in Ahmedabad is said to be over ₹80 crore. Paan shops are being sealed, palms are being hurriedly planted and walls are coming up as part of the city’s beautification. Numbers, too, matter, for Trump. He says he is expecting up to seven million people to welcome him. His facts may not be accurate, but the Trump visit at the moment is all about optics.

Blame Texas. Everything is big in Texas. The ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event added a different dimension even to the large Texan scale. Trump was finally trumped on his home ground. And now, Modi is going to do it again, this time in front of millions, hoping to turn the show into a diplomatic power move. India is rolling out the red carpet and Trump, a reluctant traveller, is ready for the ride.

This is not the first time that Modi has invited Trump to India. An invitation was sent out for last year’s Republic Day function; but the Americans were a little squeamish about endorsing a candidate in an election year. Modi, however, has no such qualms. He is hosting Trump at a time when the US president is launching his reelection campaign knowing fully well that the visit will boost his image back home.

“I view it through the prism of politics,’’ said Harsh Pant, who heads the strategic studies programme at Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation. “Trump is coming to India because at Houston Modi sold him this idea that he has hold over the Indian diaspora. Indian Americans are traditionally Democratic voters and Trump thinks that he has nothing to lose if a few of them come to him.”