PM thinks Ahmedabad only choice for foreign dignitaries: Pawar

As India prepares to welcome US President Donald Trump, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat has become the preferred destination for key foreign dignitaries visiting India. Before Modi became the PM, top foreign dignitaries visiting India also used to go to places like Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Pawar told reporters.

"Earlier, they (foreign dignitaries) used to go to places like Agra, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It is good that in the last five years, all these people chose Ahmedabad. It is a good thing," Pawar said, when asked why is Maharashtra missing from Trump's itinerary.

"We are happy that the country's prime minister thinks Ahmedabad is the best place to show in India to any visiting foreign dignitary," Pawar said.

Important global leaders who visited Gujarat after Modi became the PM in 2014 include Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. NCP MLA and Pawar's grand nephew Rohit Pawar had last week asked the Centre that apart from Delhi and Ahmedabad, Trump should also visit the country's financial capital, Mumbai. Taking to Twitter, Rohit Pawar had opined that Trump visiting Mumbai would further boost economic ties between both the countries.