File Photo: PM Modi with US President Barack Obama.
President Barack Obama's itinerary for his three-day visit to India has been finalized, the government said today, and it includes plenty of interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
POTUS is expected to land on Sunday at 10 am in Delhi on
Air Force One. The state visit will begin with a ceremonial welcome by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The PM and Mr Obama will then move to Hyderabad House for bilateral talks.
The Prime Minister will host a lunch during which the
delegation talks will continue. That evening, the leaders will meet at President Pranab Mukherjee's banquet.
On the 26th, Mr Obama will be the
guest of honour at the Republic Day parade. He will be seated with the PM and President Mukherjee in a special bulletproof enclosure. President Mukherjee's "at home" tea reception - an annual event - will keep the PM and Mr Obama together.
On Monday, they will jointly address
company bosses on Monday in an event organised by the US-India Business Council.
Mr 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 Mr Obama's only destination this time, despite the risk of offending neighbouring Pakistan.
The big coup for the government is Mr Obama's appearance on the
PM's radio show which will record and broadcast on the 27th before the Obamas head to
Agra to tour the Taj Mahal. Mr 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, Mr Obama accompanied PM 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. It is not clear whether PM Modi will speak in English or in Hindi, as he usually does during his broadcast.
President Obama departs from Delhi that evening.