Modi, Netanyahu to visit Gujarat on Wednesday, tight security for roadshow

Gandhinagar, Jan 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu will be in Gujarat for a day on Wednesday where they will first have a mega roadshow from the airport to Sabarmati Ashram, and then visit an entrepreneurial centre and a horticultural centre.

Wednesday’s visit will be Modi’s first to his home state after the assembly elections. Both the Prime Ministers will arrive at Ahmedabad airport at around 10.15 a.m., from where they will travel to the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati in an open vehicle, receiving a warm welcome by the spectators, through the over 50 stages set up along the route jointly by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Gujarat government.

The 14-km-long roadshow will be heavily guarded by security forces including Israeli snipers along the route, where almost 50,000 people are expected to be present. A km-long periphery will be turned into a fortress for almost half of the day, where 12 teams from ‘Chetak commandos’, the Quick Response Teams, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and police will be guarding the venues.

Special squads will be deployed at high-rise buildings along the route and also on the Sabarmati river in speedboats when both the dignitaries are in the Ashram. Every spectator participating in the roadshow will be scrutinized in doorframe metal detectors at the special 20 entry gates erected for the purpose.

Civic authorities have closed many of the roads adjoining the roadshow route on security grounds, which might create trouble for the commuters. The authorities have also closed the RTO office which is in the vicinity of the Ashram till noon.

The stages on the road show will depict Gujarat’s cultural and heritage values by various artistes. There will be artistes from 22 states showcasing their traditional art and dances on these stages. Both the dignitaries will spend around 20 minutes at the Ashram, where they will pay a floral tribute to the Father of the Nation.

Modi and Netanyahu will also visit ‘Hridaykunj’ at the Ashram and also try their hands on the ‘Charkha’. The Prime Ministers will also visit the exhibition at the Ashram. Netanyahu will be presented a copy of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, “My Experiments with Truth”.

Both the Prime Ministers will return to the airport along the same route and will fly in a chopper to the ‘I-create’ centre at Bawla, where they will address the youth. They will also have lunch at the centre along with various industrialists.

They will then fly off to the horticulture centre near Prantij around 2 p.m. where they will address a congregation of agricultural experts and farmers. They will head back to the airport in the evening.

IANS