Last year it was “Howdy, Modi!” — a Texas football stadium rally for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India that featured President Trump. On Monday, Mr. Modi returned the favor with “Namaste Trump,” a campaign-style event in a 110,000-seat cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
A daylong affair featuring popular singers, dancers and pounding music under a blazing sun, the “Namaste Trump” rally was an unabashed homage to Mr. Trump. His name and image appeared on dozens of banners and billboards throughout the stadium and outside its grounds. Mr. Trump said it made a lasting impression on him.
The event catered to Mr. Trump’s taste for a giant crowd. It also made vivid an image the leaders are jointly cultivating as larger-than-life, unapologetically brash figures leading their countries to bright new futures — even as their critics accuse both men of encouraging caustic nationalism and abuses against minorities.
Mr. Modi greeting Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania, as they arrived in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Ahmedabad did not deliver the 10 million well-wishers that Mr. Trump has said Mr. Modi promised to turn out — television images suggested tens of thousands, not millions in the streets.
During a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram, where Gandhi once lived, Mr. Modi explained how to use a charkha, a traditional spinning wheel.
Locals with passes to enter the rally.
The Trumps and Mr. Modi during the rally at the stadium.
India says the Motera Stadium — formally known as Sardar Patel Stadium — is the largest cricket stadium in the world.
Making no mention of a growing backlash against what critics call Mr. Modi’s anti-Muslim Hindu nationalism, Mr. Trump praised India for its unity.
“We will always remember this remarkable hospitality,” Mr. Trump said. “We will remember it forever.”
The leaders and Ms. Trump’s shoes were left behind during their visit to the Sabarmati Ashram.
Source : Nytimes
