President Donald Trump's address to a packed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad was electrifying and it was a rare occasion where one saw the American leader really speaking out from his heart, Professor of Economics at Columbia University Arvind Panagariya has said.
Panagariya said when the 'Howdy Modi' event happened in Houston last September, it seemed that one will never be able to better that mega community event.
"I think the (Namaste Trump event) at the Sardar Patel Stadium did that, it bettered (the Howdy Modi! event). The whole atmospherics was incredible.
"In my memory, I can't think of another dignitary's visit that comes even close, Panagariya said when asked by PTI about President Trump's just concluded first State Visit to India.
And it's a rare occasion where you see President Trump really speaking out from his heart, Panagariya said adding that while Trump read his speech from the teleprompter, but the delivery was electrifying.
Panagariya, who has served as Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, added that Modi himself is a fantastic speaker but I would say that President Trump actually gave a better speech, he said amid smiles from the audience.
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During his visit, Trump spoke about the importance of the United States-India relationship before a crowd of more than 110,000 people at the Ahmedabad's Motera stadium.
Panagariya gave a keynote address at a discussion on India's Union Budget 2020 organised by the Consulate General of India in New York.
Later during an interactive session when asked about the trade deal between India and the US, Panagariya said Trump had already made a statement before he arrived for the visit that Washington will do a big deal with New Delhi in future.
We''re doing a very big trade deal with India. We''ll have it. I don''t know if it'll be done before the election, but we''ll have a very big deal with India," Trump said ahead of his visit.
Later, Modi also said that New Delhi is going to do a trade deal the US.
That is a statement coming from the Prime Minister and that carries a lot of value and weight, Panagariya said adding that Modi does not talk loosely and when he says that there will be a trade deal going forward, I feel there is some substance to that.
Addressing a joint press meet with Trump after their comprehensive talks on key issues, including trade, counter-terror and energy cooperation, Modi had said that as far as bilateral trade is concerned, there have been positive talks between the two commerce ministers.
Panagariya added that he has talked to officials both in New Delhi and Washington on the issue of a trade deal. While the US side complains that India never closes the last mile problems, Indian officials say the moment they come to closing the last mile distance, more demands are made by the US.
Panagariya that any eventual trade deal between the two sides will be huge.
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty said that there was a lot of noise about trade but Trump himself has said that exports between India and the US have grown exponentially.
I think the trade story is not all that grim as has been pointed out. I believe they are looking at a more ambitious trade deal, Chakravorty said.