US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 25% additional tariff on India has created a stir in Indian political circles.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has reacted sharply to this decision and urged the central government that India should also retaliate by imposing 50% tariff on American products.
Tharoor said that the annual trade between India and the US is around $90 billion. In such a situation, if 50% more duty is imposed on the products being exported from India, then naturally the competitiveness of Indian goods will decrease.
He also expressed concern that less tariff is being imposed on the products of countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam, which can further weaken India’s position.
Tharoor also pointed out that the US action was taken because of India’s purchase of oil and gas from Russia, while China is buying twice as much oil from Russia as India and has been given 90 days to impose tariffs, while India has been given only three weeks.
This discriminatory attitude shows that the US is not treating India equally.
Tharoor described Trump’s attitude as “threatening” and said, “We are not a country that can be suppressed by any other country through threats.
We should also impose reciprocal tax. Trump himself talks about reciprocal tax, so now India should also do the same.”
He also reminded that there is a depth of strategic partnership between India and America – cooperation is going on in areas like Quad, I2U2, defense, AI and technology.
But if America spoils the entire relationship only because of trade, then it will have to take responsibility for it.
Tharoor also appealed to the Indian diaspora to raise their voice against this policy in the US. “Indian-American citizens should tell their representatives that this kind of treatment of India is not fair.”
Nikki Haley, an American leader of Indian origin, has also questioned Trump’s decision – “It is okay to take action against China, but why spoil relations with India?”
Finally, Tharoor made it clear that if the US does not withdraw this tariff policy in the next three weeks, then India should not delay in imposing 50% tariff. His message was clear – “If they want reciprocal, India will also take reciprocal action.