India Set to Stage an Epic Show, With Trump as the Star

Traveling with the first lady, Melania Trump, Mr. Trump will tour several Indian cities, including a jaunt to the Taj Mahal. Where this visit begins, Ahmedabad, is about as safe, pro-Modi and, by extension, pro-Trump as India gets.

A large, dusty city, Ahmedabad is a stronghold for Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, and where a young Mr. Modi rose from humble roots up the ranks of nationalist groups that espoused a Hindu supremacist worldview.

At party headquarters this week, it was all smiles. “This is like a dream come true,” said Bharat Pandya, a B.J.P. spokesman.

American officials are trying to manage expectations. A few arms deals are likely to be announced, but the two sides are struggling on wider trade issues. They nearly worked out a deal in January that would have opened up India to more American farm products and restored preferential trade status for India. What happened next depends on whom you talk to.

American diplomats say the Indians began to act as if they were being taken advantage of and refused to budge on even small things, like reducing tariffs on walnuts. Indian officials say the Americans turned into bullies and made new demands, like a request to buy more turkeys, which Indians by and large do not eat. To help Mr. Trump court voters in key states, the Indians offered to buy more Wisconsin cranberries, Utah cherries and Midwest soybeans.

Both sides then began backing away from commitments, said several people with knowledge of the talks, and now Mr. Trump is suggesting that a final deal will have to wait until after the November election. Still, he’s eager to drum up business and plans to meet with Indian executives on Tuesday about investing in the United States.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/world/asia/trump-india-modi.html