PM to break protocol, receive Obama at airport

In a special gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur will receive US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at the Delhi airport on Sunday, sources here said on Saturday.

“Yes, the prime minister and his wife will be receiving the Obamas,” sources at the Prime Minister’s Office told IANS.

Obama is on a four-day visit to India. He arrived in Mumbai on Saturday afternoon, and is to reach New Delhi on Sunday afternoon.

The prime minister is hosting a private dinner on Sunday for the US first couple at his official residence, 7 Race Course Road.

Singh, 78, and Obama, 49, share a special chemistry and have praised each other on several occasions. Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency for Manmohan Singh in Washington on Nov 24 last year.

Obama leaves for Indonesia on Tuesday morning. He will also visit South Korea and Japan during his 14-day Asia trip