All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday criticised United States President Donald Trump for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “father of India” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session. Owaisi called Trump “jahil”, or illiterate, and said that he was ignorant of India’s history and about Mahatma Gandhi, ANI reported.

“One should understand Modi cannot be the father of the nation because you cannot compare Gandhi and Modi,” he said. “Gandhi made numerous sacrifices for this nation, he earned it.”

Following the bilateral meeting with Modi on Tuesday, Trump said he considered the Indian prime minister to be “a great gentleman and a great leader.” He also added that Modi had brought India together and could therefore be called the “father of India”.

The politician said he agreed with Trump comparing Modi to singer Elvis Presley and said that the prime minister also mesmerised people with his speeches. Owaisi, however, added that he did not want to demean the prime minister by equating him with the singer.

The AIMIM chief claimed that Modi’s failure had led to a situation where India was being clubbed with Pakistan. He also accused Trump of playing a “double game” by praising both Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, Congress Spokesperson Sanjay Jha also took a dig at Trump’s remark and tweeted: “If Narendra Modi is Elvis Presley, then I am Jennifer Lopez.”

Earlier in the day, Union minister Jitendra Singh had criticised people who were mocking Trump. “If a frank and impartial view comes from outside, from the US president then I think all Indian citizens should feel proud of it, irrespective of their political affiliation,” he said.

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