Taj Mahal visit to joint radio address with Modi: What to expect from Obama's India visit

India is gearing up for another visit by President Obama, who will be the chief guest for the country’s 65th Republic Day.

Despite the backlash of criticism he is currently receiving from the American media for leaving the country three days after his State of the Union address, Obama seems very pleased about his trip - even asking the Bukhara staff at the ITC Maurya to prepare him a special “Clinton Style” platter.

From a special Taj Mahal visit to a “private dinner” with Modi, here’s a list of things that are likely to happen with Obama in town:

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a private dinner for US President Barack Obama

Narendra Modi and Barack Obama will share a special meal together at Modi’s residence. Since this is Modi’s first time entertaining a World leader, he is going to great lengths to ensure everything is absolutely perfect.

2. Obama is likely to make a quick trip to the Taj Mahal

Like many heads of state before him, Obama is likely to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and the India Gate. Reportedly, in anticipation of the President’s visit, the monuments are closed to the public.

3. Delhi will turn into an impregnable fortress

A seven-layer security ring will be thrown around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath for the Republic Day parade to be witnessed by US President Barack Obama. The airspace over the area would be monitored by a radar to be specially set up and this will form part of the unprecedented ground-to-air security drill that will turn the national capital into an impregnable fortress.

4.No drones allowed

The Delhi police have also ruled out the possibility of using drones, saying they don’t want anything to be flying in the sky during the parade. India has also politely turned down a suggestion by Barack Obama’s security teams that a 5-km “no-fly zone” be imposed around the majestic Rajpath.

5. Modi to recreate Martin Luther King moment for Obama

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning a special gesture for Barack Obama, chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade, to recreate and reciprocate the US president’s ‘Martin Luther King moment’.

In a spontaneous gesture during Modi’s visit in September last year, Obama had accompanied the prime minister on a visit to the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr, the American civil rights leader who drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi.

6. Modi-Obama radio address in India

Obama’s visit to India this weekend may see a joint radio address from the two heads of state. In the US, the President does a weekly radio address and since taking charge as Prime Minister, Modi has adopted the radio as a means of communicating to the masses through his “Mann Ki Baat” programme.