New Delhi [India], July 31: The Opposition in India has launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government following the United States’ decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Indian exports, effective August 1, coupled with an additional penalty for India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. Both Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the government’s handling of foreign policy.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra took a direct dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter). “25 per cent tariff on India – ‘India, Russia can take their dead economies down together,’ says Trump. Narendra Modi, S Jaishankar, Kudos for a spectacular win! Apro Donaald Bhai zindabad,” Moitra’s tweet, made around 10:31 am, read before it was removed. This tweet referenced a stark statement attributed to Donald Trump regarding the economic implications of India’s ties with Russia.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also hit out at Prime Minister Modi, flagging what he termed the “political challenges arising out of CAP (China, America and Pakistan).” Ramesh asserted that both US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom PM Modi has cultivated personal friendships, “understand that PM Modi can be managed easily by playing to his gigantic ego and self-obsession.”
“Prime Minister Modi once spoke of the TOP (Tomato, Onion, Potato) challenge in prices. Now India has to contend with the political challenge arising out of CAP (China, America, Pakistan),” Ramesh, the Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications, posted on X. He suggested that Modi’s reliance on personal friendships in diplomacy had proven ineffective in safeguarding India’s interests.
These criticisms come after US President Donald Trump announced the new tariffs in a social media post, citing India’s “far too high” tariffs and “strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers.” He also explicitly linked the additional penalty to India’s significant purchases of military equipment and energy from Russia, stating, “INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST 1st.” Trump had also stated that Washington remains open to trade negotiations with India.