india

Updated: Feb 23, 2020 14:32 IST

After several days of confusion, a visit to the iconic Sabarmati Ashram is back on US President Donald Trump’s itinerary for Ahmedabad, people familiar with developments said on Sunday.

The US side had not been keen on making the Ashram part of the schedule for a variety of factors, including security concerns and the limited time available for the stopover in the city, as the US President and the First Lady Melania Trump are set to fly to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal before sunset.

A person familiar with planning for the visit confirmed on Sunday afternoon that Trumps would visit the Sabarmati Ashram shortly after flying into Ahmedabad on Monday afternoon.

Trump and his motorcade will travel to the Ashram before going to the Motera stadium where he and PM Modi will address a ‘Namaste Trump’ event expected to be attended by close to a lakh people.

“Sabarmati Ashram is back on the agenda,” said the person cited above.

The External Affairs Ministry reached out to the US side to convince it of the symbolic importance of visiting the Ashram, given Mahatma Gandhi’s close association with Ahmedabad and his important role in India’s freedom movement.

Three chairs have been set up on the Sabarmati riverside for the visiting dignitaries. The security is being monitored by officials from state and central agencies along with the US secret service.

The Sabarmati Ashram was one of the residences of Mahatma Gandhi. It is from here that Gandhi led the Dandi March or the Salt Satyagraha on March 12, 1930. The Ashram was turned into a national monument after the March. It is situated on the banks of the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.

Authorities in Ahmedabad were still putting finishing touches to barriers and banners being erected along the 22-km route to be taken by Trump’s motorcade.

The US President, along with his family and a ministerial delegation will be in India for around 36 hours.