NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are all set to host US President Barack Obama on his three-day historic second visit to India that begins tomorrow. The visit would see the US President attend the Republic Day as the chief guest.
It is for the first time that any US President is visiting India twice and would be the chief guest at the Republic Day, the political symbolism of which for the India-US strategic partnership must be obvious to all. Republic day is the day when the Constitution came into effect. It is Constitution which has among its sources of inspiration the idea of certain inalienable rights like Right to Life, Liberty and Sovereignty of the people contained in the American declaration of Independence and the American Constitution.
Mr Obama, ahead of his visit, described India and the US as natural global partners whose “stars are aligned.” Mr Modi had extended the invitation for the visit and being the chief guest at the Republic day parade when he met Mr Obama in Washington in September last year. The fact that Mr Obama accepted the invitation was itself an indication of the importance he places on the relationship. Though India would not like this relationship to be hyphenated with China, it is largely believed that the US sees India a democratic balancing force in Asia.
Both the leaders see the visit as another opportunity to deepen their strategic partnership which includes cooperation in security, defence, energy, trade and investment among its key elements.
Both sides were working hard to arrive at a resolution of the vexed nuclear liability issue in order to go ahead with the implementation of the nuclear deal, concluded by the previous UPA Government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, which would unlock nuclear commerce between India and United States worth billions and boost India’s efforts to increase the share of clean energy in its energy mix.
Mr Obama, accompanied by wife Michelle and a very high level delegation, will land in the capital at 1000 hrs tomorrow in his Air Force One, which is the world’s most sophisticated aircraft. The Beast, his armoured limousine, has already arrived by a separate aircraft.
The capital has been turned into a fortress for Mr Obama’s visit and security agencies were not taking any chance due to increased perception of threat to Mr Obama in view of expansion of terror networks and emergence of new ones. After a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan and paying homage to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, Mr Obama will head to Hyderabad House for formal talks with Mr Modi. Mr Obama and his wife are also likely to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
(AGENCIES)
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