India

Rahul Gandhi slams US tariff hike, calls it ‘economic blackmail’ to bully India into unfair trade deal

Rahul also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the PM should not let his weakness override national interests.

Statesman News Service | New Delhi | August 6, 2025 11:41 pm | Updated : August 7, 2025 12:09 am

Rahul Gandhi slams US tariff hike, calls it ‘economic blackmail’ to bully India into unfair trade deal

File Photo: IANS

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the US tariff hike, calling it an “economic blackmail to bully India into an unfair trade deal”.

In a social media post on X, Rahul also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should not let his weakness override national interests.

Advertisement

“Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail – an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal. PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people,” Gandhi said.

Advertisement

Gandhi’s reaction came shortly after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports to the United States for purchasing Russian oil.

Also Read: Trump imposes additional 25 per cent tarriff on India for buying Russian oil

These new tariffs are in addition to the 25 per cent tariff imposed by Trump last month, effectively raising the total tariffs on Indian goods.
The new tariffs will come into effect in 21 days (on August 27), while the earlier round of tariffs announced last month will be effective from tomorrow, August 7.
Meanwhile, reacting sharply to the US tariff hike, India reiterated that Washington’s actions are “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” and vowed to take “all actions necessary” to protect its national interests.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:
“It is extremely unfortunate that the US has chosen to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,” said the MEA.

Read More: India says US tariff hike ‘extremely unfortunate’, vows ‘all actions necessary’ to protect national interests

Advertisement

Related posts


Today's Top Stories