Trade Agreement With U.S. Only Delayed & Not Stuck, Says Govt.

It points to grand scale of Trump-Modi Motera rally as ‘key deliverable’ of visit

- Suhasini Haidar, Sriram Lakshman

An Indo-U.S. trade deal has been delayed but is not “stuck”, the government said on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump confirmed that negotiations will not be completed in time for his visit next week.

However, government sources said expectations on trade would not overshadow the larger context of the visit, which will be a massive roadshow for Mr. Trump and his wife Melania from the Ahmedabad airport to Motera as well as a joint rally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the stadium (billed as the world’s biggest cricket stadium), the “key deliverable” of the visit.

“From the moment of their arrival at the airport, [Mr. and Mrs. Trump] will be treated to a display of famed Indian hospitality and India’s Unity in Diversity,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla told reporters.

‘Big deal later’