A lot of eyebrows were raised on Twitter and many people expressed surprise as US President Donald Trump left a message in the visitors' book at Sabarmati Ashram without any mention of Mahatma Gandhi.
In the book, Trump wrote, “To my great friend Prime Minister Naredra Modi, thank you for this wonderful visit.”
Trump, who reached Ahmedabad on Monday for the first leg of his India tour, visited the Ashram along with wife Melania minutes after he landed here. After noticing no mention of Mahatma Gandhi in the message by Trump, netizens took to Twitter, comparing his note with that of former US President Barack Obama.
When Obama visited the Mani Bhavan - where Gandhi used to stay while in Mumbai - in south Mumbai in 2010, his note in the visitors' book read: “I am filled with hope and inspiration as I have the privilege to view this testament to Gandhi's life. He is a hero not just to India but to the world.”
Five years later, in January 2015, after visiting the Raj Ghat in Delhi, Obama wrote, “What Dr Martin Luther King Jr said then remains true today. The spirit of Gandhi is very much alive in India today. And it remains a great gift to the world. May we always live in the spirit of love and peace- among all people and nations.”
Congress leader Manish Tewari posted an image of Trump's remarks in the Ashram visitors' book, saying “This is a snapshot of the note that someone sent. It ostensibly is @realDonaldTrumps note at Sabarmati. No mention of the Great Mahatma. Does he even know who Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was?