Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel as chairperson, two parliamentarians, president of the Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industries and other eminent citizens and Padma recipients are the members of a newly-formed Donald Trump Nagarik Abhivadan Samiti (DTNAS), which is holding the ‘Namaste Trump’ event at Motera stadium in Ahmedabad on February 24.
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The group is apparently the organiser of the mega event in which the U.S. President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a massive gathering of 1.25 lakh people at the newly-built cricket stadium .
“A committee has been formed under the city Mayor to felicitate President Trump,” Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told the media on February 21.
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On February 20, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar told the media that the event was being organised by the Samiti, which decided whom to invite for the event.
Border Security Force jawans ride their camels past hoardings with the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, as they take part in a rehearsal for a roadshow ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit in Ahmedabad on February 21, 2020.
Even in Gujarat, there was no clarity about the existence of such committee and who formed it on February 20.
According to insiders, the idea of forming a committee to host the event was an “afterthought” after it was ‘mysteriously’ decided to not inaugurate the newly built sprawling stadium spread on 64 acres in northwestern Ahmedabad.
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On February 20, the Opposition Congress questioned the government on the committee by asking who formed it and when it extended an invitation to the President and when was it accepted.
Published - February 21, 2020 09:50 pm IST
