Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid a two-day visit to India, starting his trip in Gujarat state on the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. But an unusual decision by Ahmedabad officials, the state's biggest city, stirred outrage among locals.
As the convoy of Boris Johnson marched through the streets near Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, photos and videos showed white cloth covering up both sides of the streets, in what has been perceived as an attempt to hide the city's slums, so they are not seen by the UK Prime Minister.
Ahead of the visit if @BorisJohnson, the slum near #SabarmatiAshram in #Ahmedabad gets covered with white cloth on Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/NoSlR0PROK
— DP (@dpbhattaET) April 21, 2022
Online people quickly shared photos and videos and protested the government's decision to hide the slums instead of actively working on providing better housing conditions to millions of its residents.
Gujarat model either build a wall or cover with cloth. But never do anything to develop the people. Just cover it. https://t.co/47PniQh16Q
— Rajganesh.E (@rajganeshe) April 22, 2022
This is not the first time Indian authorities try to hide Ahmedabad's slums during visits from global leaders. In February 2020, a wall was built across the city's streets to block the sight of poor slums during a visit by former US President Donald Trump.
Trump arrives in India on Monday. In preparation for his visit, Modi is evicting families & building a wall to hide slums.
— Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) February 22, 2020
One fascist welcoming another.pic.twitter.com/rA5YxPKPD8
Meanwhile, many discussed Boris Johnson's decision to make Gujarat state the first stop on his trip, since it is the home state of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is also the hometown of most Britons of Indian origins.
Boris Johnson's visit to India ended last Friday after he and Modi announced signing new defense and trade agreements.
