US President Donald Trump's visit will not make India a superpower, says Uddhav Thackeray

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday (February 22) took a swipe at the Centre saying that a visit by US President Donald Trump will not make "India a superpower", he pointed out that the country needs human resources along with capital investment. 

"US President Donald Trump is coming to India in a few days, but how is that going to make us a superpower? Along with capital investment, we need human resource as well," Thackeray said.

Thackeray was in Mumbai attending a book launch event when he made the comment. The event was attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar. 

Thackeray also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without mentioning his name, he said, "The letters are written from the heart and there is a lot of difference between `Mann Ki Baat` and `Dil ki baat` which come straight from the heart."

The comments come ahead of Trump's scheduled two-day visit to India on February 24.

The US president's visit is being celebrated with a lot of fanfare which has drawn criticism from the Congress party too. Congress had said that Trump's visit to India should not become an extension of the US presidential election campaign but should yield concrete results for India. The visit should not be reduced to a photo opportunity or a PR exercise that would devalue the importance of Indo-US partnership. 

BJP slammed Congress for its criticism and said that it should instead take pride in the "nation's achievements". The ruling party has called the bilateral meet ''a landmark moment in Indo-US relations.'' 

President Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, will be visiting India between February 24-25. President Trump will address a mega ''Namaste Trump'' event in the Motera Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. The event has been modelled on the lines of ''Howdy Modi'' event held in the United States last year.

(With ANI inputs)