While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi feted the U.S. President Donald Trump at a mega-rally in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad, clashes erupted in New Delhi between hundreds of supporters and opponents of a new anti-Muslim citizenship law that provides fast-track naturalization for some foreign-born religious minorities, but not Muslims. Indian police used tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse a crowd of clashing protesters in New Delhi on Monday as violence broke out.
Hindu nationalist and communist groups held pro and anti-U.S. street demonstrations in the capital. A group of Hindu nationalists held a prayer meeting where they put a vermilion mark on the forehead of Trump's photograph on a poster, blessing him, while a priest chanted Hindu hymns wishing Trump success in his endeavor for strong ties with India. Vishnu Gupta, president of Hindu Sena, said "through a fire ritual we are invoking God to bless America and India.''
Excited crowds began queueing at 4 a.m. to get into the brand new stadium for the "Namaste Trump" rally, payback for a "Howdy Modi" event in Houston last year in front of cheering Indian-Americans where Trump likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Elvis Presley.
Preparations have been feverish for the visit, with workers rushing to finish the stadium and building a wall that locals said was to hide a slum. Stray dogs, cows and monkeys have been moved away. Modi's government undertook another project before Trump's visit. Parts of the Taj Mahal, the white marble "jewel of Muslim art" according to UNESCO, were given a mud-pack facial to remove stains while efforts were undertaken to lessen the stench of the adjacent river. This is the first time the replicas of two graves inside the Taj Mahal were cleaned since their installation more than 300 years ago.
Elsewhere in New Delhi, the capital, dozens of supporters of the Communist Party of India carried a banner reading "Trump go back." Anti-Trump street demonstrations also broke out in the cities of Gauhati in the northeast, Kolkata in the east and Hyderabad in the south. Doraisamy Raja, the Communist Party's general secretary, accused Modi of succumbing to U.S. pressure on access to the Indian market rather than protecting India's interests.
Also in New Delhi, police fired tear gas as clashes erupted between hundreds of supporters and opponents of a new citizenship law that provides fast-track naturalization for some foreign-born religious minorities but not Muslims. One police officer was killed in the violence, police spokesman Anuj Kumar said.
India's Citizenship Amendment Act, which eases the path for non-Muslims from neighboring Muslim-majority nations to gain citizenship, has triggered weeks of sometimes violent protests against Modi's government. The law is seen by its opponents as discriminating against Muslims and has deepened concerns that Modi's administration is undermining India's secular traditions. Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party denies any bias against the country's 180 million Muslims.
