Clinton to be Gujarat’s ‘state guest’ Sunday, April 1, 2001
News Source: IndiaAbroad
Ahmedabad: Former United States president Bill Clinton will be treated as a state guest and be given a reception befitting that status when he arrives in Gujarat on April 4, according to state government sources.
Clinton will stay at the Hotel Taj Ummed in the state's principal city of Ahmedabad, which is going all out to make him feel like "the most powerful man on the earth once again". American security personnel are taking a round of the places Clinton is expected to visit, the sources said.
Clinton is visiting Gujarat to announce the participation of the American India Foundation (AIF) in the rehabilitation of some of the villages that were destroyed by the January 26 earthquake. Top Indian American community leaders will also accompany him.
According to the AIF, which is organizing Clinton's visit, the former US president will arrive in New Delhi on the night of April 3 and leave for Ahmedabad the next day by a chartered flight. He will spend the next two days going around the earthquake-hit areas in Ahmedabad and Bhuj.
From there, he will travel to Mumbai on the evening of April 5 for a two-day visit to meet political leaders and captains of Indian industry.
On April 7, he will leave for Kolkata to pay homage to late Mother Teresa at her Missionaries of Charity headquarters in that city. He will then arrive in New Delhi on the same day where Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will host a dinner for him.
The AIF is planning to adopt 100 quake-devastated villages of Gujarat. Clinton is expected to announce the names of 40 villages where the foundation will begin its work soon.
Kutch district bore the brunt of the January 26 quake that ravaged this western Indian state. The quake killed about 25,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless. Ahmedabad was the next most affected city where about 700 people died and dozens of building collapsed.
The police still does not have much idea of the kind of security blanket that has to be provided to the former president.
"We only have a sketchy picture of his program in Ahmedabad. As a past president Mr Clinton is entitled to a tight security ring, but we will be able to provide him and his entourage with that even if we are informed of his programs two days in advance," Ahmedabad police commissioner P.C. Pande told India Abroad News Service.
"There was a slight confusion about the security classification of a former president. After all an ex-president does not visit you so often," Himanshu Bhatt, Kutch additional superintendent of police, said on telephone.
The hotel management is trying to get Clinton's likes and dislikes before finalizing the menu for him. It is even willing to import a few things to prepare a menu that will impress its most celebrated guest so far. Gujarati cuisine is likely to be showcased in a big way.
Clinton has traveled to several American cities to raise finds for the earthquake victims. Several community leaders accompanied him on his fund-raising tour.
The delegation to India includes Anil Bhandri, Sabeer Bhatia, P.C. Chatterjee, Vikram Chatwal, Deepak Chopra, Suvas Desai, Rohit Desai, Vishaka Desai, Gururaj Deshpande, Naren Gupta, Rajat Gupta, Vinod Gupta, Kailash Joshi, Victor Menezes, Mike Patel, C.K. Prahlad, Bhimsen Rao, Kanwal Rekhi and Krishna Srinivas. It is not yet known as to how many of these will visit Gujarat along with Clinton.
This will be Clinton's second visit to India. He had paid a state visit to India last year.
The AIF is a grouping of Indian Americans that harnesses the management expertise, financial resources and entrepreneurship of the community in the US for the benefit of India. The foundation's immediate aim is to improve the social and community infrastructure in India by working for rehabilitation of Gujarat.
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