Obama misses Taj Mahal Visit

US President Barack Obama’s Taj Mahal visit was cancelled due to security reasons. But, some sources state that the cancellation was due to Obama’s travel to Saudi Arabia for paying tribute to the late King Abdullah.

As per the earlier programme, the President of the US was to visit the historical monument on January 27. And the US secret service who is the personal protection for the US president was watching over India’s monument, the Taj Mahal. The US president is expected to land in Delhi on Jan 25th, 2015. Barack Obama is the first US president to visit India twice while in office.

His three-day visit will include a town hall in Delhi with students among the audience, a private dinner with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi at his residence, and a day-long trip to the Taj Mahal with his wife, the first lady, Michelle.

On the 26th, he will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations pivoted on the massive military parade on Rajpath in the heart of the capital. On 27th, he will address about 1,500 people at Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium regarding the benefits of a close relationship between India and the US.

The 165 km long freeway between Delhi and Agra could be closed for the public if it’s foggy. While President Obama is in Agra, it will be a no-fly zone for commercial airlines as per the earlier schedule.

But, there wasn’t proper consensus regarding security between the Indian security agencies and the US security personnel due to which, the US President’s visit to Taj Mahal was cancelled. And as per other sources, the cancellation was due to the President’s travel to Saudi Arabia. Whatever is the reason, the US President misses the visit to the magnificent monument.

Photo by Jovyn Chamb on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Image Reference: https://unsplash.com/photos/iWMfiInivp4