Obama set to get honour not given to ‘India friend’ George Bush

While it is still unclear whether US president Barack Obama’s November 8 visit to India will translate into concrete deliverables on the bilateral front, it’s certain to be marked by glowing references to India’s growing status as a global powerhouse.

Timothy Roemer, the US ambassador to India, made clear as much during an interview to a TV channel. He said: “India is stepping up on the world stage. It’s a rising power with increased influence and impact, and that’s something the president of the United States is going to address.”

New Delhi, meanwhile, is sparing no effort to make Obama’s visit a memorable one. He will address a joint session of both the houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall, where Jawaharlal Nehru delivered the famous midnight Independence Day speech. Obama will be the second US president after Bill Clinton to address lawmakers at the Hall. The same honour was not granted to his predecessor George W Bush when he visited India in 2006.

Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar has called a meeting of all political parties on Wednesday to discuss the modalities. To ensure full attendance of the lawmakers, the month-long winter session  has been advanced and will be held from
November 9.

The US embassy has suggested that Obama’s address be scheduled late in the evening, when it is daytime in the US. The Central Hall has been closed down for a fortnight for spruce-up operations.

The huge blue dome is being repainted and additional lights are being fitted in. The giant fans, which rotate in the reverse direction, are also getting a fresh coat. The services of 50 artists of the Archaeological Survey of India have been requisitioned to do a touch-up job on the century-old paintings in the corridors of the parliament.

Over 200 top US secret service agents have already landed in Delhi and started taking positions in the national capital as well as in Mumbai. Highly placed sources say that a US ship will be positioned near the Chennai port. National security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon has been briefing the prime minister on the arrangements on a daily basis.

US undersecretary of state William Burns and chief point person for South Asia Robert Blake will hold talks with foreign secretary Nirupama Rao over two days to thrash out outstanding issues between the countries.