Daily Times

A 1,640-foot brick wall has been hastily erected in India’s Gujarat state ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump, with critics saying it was built to block the view of a slum area inhabited by more than 2,000 people.

“Since they are spending so much money on this wall, why not use that to improve our slum and provide better facilities for us,” said resident Keshi Saraniya. “Why are they hiding us poor people?”

The US president is visiting the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat during a two-day trip to India next week to attend an event called Namaste Trump, which translates to “Greetings, Trump”.

The event, being held at a cricket stadium, is along the lines of a “Howdy Modi” rally he hosted for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in Houston last September.

Mr Trump is to drive along a road next to the slum and will be accompanied by Mr Modi, who is from Gujarat. Senior government official Bijal Patel said the wall was built “for security reasons” and not to conceal the slum.

“Apart from security reasons, the wall is also part of a beautification and cleanliness drive,” she added.

Authorities on Monday also served eviction notices to 45 families living in another slum area near the cricket stadium. The residents said they were asked to leave because of the upcoming event, but the city’s civic body denied it.

“We have been living here for the last 20 years and now we are suddenly being told to vacate because some important leader is visiting this city for a day,” said Sanjay Patani, a resident. “This is injustice.”
However, this isn’t the first time Mr Modi has pulled out the stops to impress a US President, in 2015, he broke protocol and welcomed Barack and Michelle Obama on the tarmac.