By Suresh Unnithan
Congress party on Saturday castigated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government for not challenging US president Donald Trump for making “unwarranted” remarks on India. Trump, who took office on January 20, has been constantly accusing India of high tariffs. “India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India… They have agreed, by the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done,” he told the media on Friday, at White House. Threatening to impose reciprocal tariffs against many countries from April 2, Trump said, “India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 per cent.”
As per statistics the US’ total trade with India was an estimated USD 129.2 billion in 2024. US goods exports to India in 2024 were USD 41.8 billion. The US goods trade deficit with India was USD 45.7 billion in 2024, a 5.4 per cent increase (USD 2.4 billion) over 2023.
Reacting to Trump’s claim that India has agreed to reduce tariffs, the Congress Party on Saturday accused the prime minister for not responding to Trump’s claim. The party asked if 140 crore Indians need to know our own government’s Trade Policy through the US President, Donald Trump.
Party spokesperson Pawan Khera in a statement asked “Has the GOI taken a decision to cut Tariffs under pressure by PM Modi’s close friend – Mr. Donald Trump? Has Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is in the United States to apparently negotiate a Trade Deal, buckled under pressure and signed on the dotted line dictated by ‘Howdy Modi’s close compatriot Namaste Trump’? What does the fresh statement by the US President mean for India where he said that “India has agreed to cut their tariffs … way down now because somebody’s finally exposing them for what they have done.”? Why is this ‘deal’ if any shrouded under a veil of secrecy?”
He further asked if countries like Mexico and Canada can negotiate a month’s pause on US reciprocal tariffs, why couldn’t India? “India needs answers.”
Criticizing the BJP-led NDA government for yielding to Trump’s maverick wishes, Khera said that India-US have had a stable, strong and a valued strategic comprehensive relationship, built over decades of mutual cooperation. “Dr Manmohan Singh and George W Bush have together navigated the details of the historic Indo-US deal, which was mutually beneficial. Dr Singh had virtually risked his own government’s political future for the same, but that was in NATIONAL INTERESTS and ended India’s Civil Nuclear apartheid. Today, PM Modi is doing just the opposite; his government seems to know-tow the line set by Mr. Trump.”
“Just yesterday, at a Media Conclave in India, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the Indian Farm sector cannot remain closed. Today, we have come one step forward, where a Union Minister is on US soil and we are being told by none less than the US President, that India has agreed to cutting its tariffs and India is being “exposed”.
Reacting to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s series of meetings with the US government (relating tariff), Khera quipped “We are not aware of the contours of this conversation which Mr. Piyush Goyal is having in the US.” He said the details we may “get to know from Donald Trump.”
Further dwelling upon Trump’s tariff related “declarations” and India’s “stoic” silence on the issue the Congress leader said “Why will any global power take India seriously, if this is how we undermine our own power? The perception of the power of India’s Prime Minister has been shaped globally in 1971, when we refused to get cowed down by America’s 7th Fleet. In 1974, when we did the nuclear test in Pokhran and America tried to arm twist us. Later, when Atal Ji was the Prime Minister, Pokhran 2 happened- again, they tried to arm twist us, we did not get bogged down, we did not get cowed down. Why did we allow President Trump to continue insulting India in the presence of the Prime Minister a few weeks ago?”
Charging that Prime Minister Modi and his government “surrendered India’s national and strategic interests” to the US in the tariff issue, Khera said,” if Mexico and Canada can pick up the phone and talk to Donald Trump in a firm voice, have we done that? We don’t know if the Prime Minister picked up the phone and spoke to his friend.”
Khera asks with all seriousness, “why this pressure, why this fear, why this silence, why this as I said, why this surrender Modi?”
