Modi rolls out red carpet for new buddy Obama

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FE Team | Published: January 23, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

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NEW DELHI, Jan 22 (AFP/Reuters): Barack Obama arrives in India this weekend for an unprecedented second visit by a serving US president, the honoured guest of his new friend Narendra Modi who was a Washington outcast only a year ago.
As well as holding bilateral talks, the leaders of the world's two largest democracies will address CEOs, appear on a radio phone-in and watch a spectacular parade together in a visit that underscores their closeness.
The US president and wife Michelle will also travel to the Taj Mahal, with hundreds of photographers on hand to snap the first couple's visit to the ultimate monument to love.
Obama's courtship of Prime Minister Modi is evident from his three-day itinerary, the first time an incumbent president has returned to India.
While recent swings through Asia have included multiple stopovers, India is Obama's only destination this time, despite the risk of offending neighbouring Pakistan.
"There's no question this is a defining time in the US-India relationship," US Ambassador Richard Verma said in New Delhi Wednesday. "Things not only feel different, they are different."
Modi's election in May 2014 was a potential headache for the US, which had blacklisted the Hindu nationalist for more than a decade after deadly communal riots in Gujarat when he was state chief minister.
He was only brought in from the cold last February when Verma's predecessor travelled to Gujarat once it appeared Modi was likely to end the centre-left Congress party's 10-year rule.
The transformation since has been spectacular, with both men heartened by their meeting of minds on a range of issues in Washington in September.
The US website Politico described their summit as a "love-in" and predicted Modi could become "America's new best buddy".
Modi's November invitation "to have a friend over" was issued via Twitter and Obama's quick-fire acceptance underlined a sense of coordination.
One cloud was lifted in November when the two governments resolved a row over food subsidies that had been blocking a global trade agreement.
Obama's top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, even called Modi a "visionary" on an advance visit last week.
Obama will be the main VIP at Monday's Republic Day parade when India's military showcases everything from tanks to its camels.
"For President Obama to be invited as the first US president to attend as the chief guest sends a very important message to the world," US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters in Washington.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the world's largest democracies will next week take to India's radio airwaves, the main source of news and information for many in the country, to get their message out.
US President Barack Obama, who will be the chief guest at New Delhi's showpiece Republic Day military parade on Jan. 26, will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a special edition of the latter's radio programmeme next Tuesday.
Listeners have been asked to pre-submit questions by Sunday to the leaders on the programmeme "Mann Ki Baat," or "Talking from the Heart".
"This month's 'Mann Ki Baat' episode will be a special one, where our Republic Day guest @BarackObama & I will share our thoughts together," Modi tweeted on Thursday.
Modi makes radio speeches at least every month to communicate with two-thirds of India's 1.2 billion people who regularly listen to the radio. He had talked about a cleanliness drive, tax evasion, and drug abuse among others on his show.
Obama's decision to appear on the show during his visit is a sign of the bond the two leaders share.In a unique departure from protocol, Obama accompanied Modi on a motorcade drive from the White House to the memorial honouring slain US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. during the leader's visit to Washington last year.Modi and Obama also issued a joint editorial before that trip, a first for an Indian leader, according to the Indian media.It is not clear whether Modi will speak in English or in Hindi, as he usually does during his broadcast. Modi's radio show is recorded at Race Course Road, the official residence of the Indian prime minister.