NEW DELHI, March 1: US President George W. Bush arrived on his maiden visit to India on Wednesday amid unprecedented secrecy and encircled by raging nationwide protests against his country’s occupation of Iraq.

In his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a civilian nuclear agreement, efforts to boost bilateral trade to $40 billion within three years and a political dialogue to deepen Indo-US strategic ties are expected to be the main plank.

An international survey of the energy scenario, a look at India’s ties with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and China as also ways to resolve the Kashmir dispute would be taken up for serious discussion, official sources said.

Perhaps for the first time TV pictures were not allowed to be transmitted as US Air Force One touched down at around 7.30pm at the Indira Gandhi International Airport a short while after taking off from Kabul. In March 2000, President Bill Clinton had gone to Pakistan from Mumbai amid similar secrecy.

An unusually massive half million protesters, mostly belonging to the Jamiat ul Ulema-i-Hind had gathered at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Grounds, the milling crowd running more than a mile deep. The placards told President Bush to go back home, that he was not welcome in India.

Traffic was at a standstill for hours on neighbouring arterial roads. Dalit leaders, farmers and peasants, as also representatives of small shop keepers were among those who expressed their anger at the visit.

Communist leader Prakash Karat, one of the key architects of the protests, said about a thousand rallies were planned for Thursday across India, including another major one at Ramlila Grounds, when President Bush starts official talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Most pro-Bush spin doctors and news channels sought to suggest that Dr Singh had broken protocol to receive the American president at the airport. However, Dr Singh had similarly broken protocol in January, if that is what he did, when he received Saudi King Abdullah also on his first visit here.

President Bush and his wife Laura were greeted at the airport by Dr Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur. The delayed pictures showed him being introduced to Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Naraynan, who was later locked in talks with his US counterpart Stephen Hadley. There were whispers of a likely breakthrough in the nuclear deal, with India possibly allowed to keep its fast breeder reactors out of the civilian facilities list.

Separating India’s tightly entwined civilian and military nuclear programmes is key to the deal, because the United States has only agreed to recognize India as having a civilian nuclear programme not as a legitimate nuclear weapons state.

The pact would allow the United States to provide nuclear technology and fuel desperately needed by India to fuel its booming but energy-starved economy. In return, India has pledged to separate its programmes and open the civilian ones to international inspection.

Some Indian opponents see it as an attempt to undermine the country’s nuclear weapons programme.

The US is India’s largest trading partner and foremost export destination. At present, it accounts for 16.48 per cent of India’s exports and around 6.26 per cent of India’s imports. India accounts for only about 1.06 per cent of the USA’s total exports and imports.

There is huge untapped potential to increase bilateral trade. The major items of Indian exports to the US are: gems & jewellery; readymade garments (cotton) & accessories; manufactures of metals’ primary and semi-finished items and steel; and drugs, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.

After a brief welcome ceremony, President Bush was escorted to a limousine and the motorcade headed for Hotel Maurya Sheraton, his home in India during his stay here. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley followed him.

Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition L K Advani will call on President Bush after which President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will host a banquet in his honour on Thursday.

Earlier at a surprise stop over at Kabul, President Bush said US negotiators were trying to iron out differences with their Indian interlocutors from aboard Air Force One to wrap up an agreement for implementation of the landmark nuclear deal.

“Our people are talking to Indians today from the plane about trying to come to a civilian power agreement,” Press Trust of India quoted him as saying at a press conference in Kabul.

“It is a difficult issue for the Indian Government. It is a difficult issue for the American Government,” he said.