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Eknath Shinde criticised Rahul Gandhi for agreeing with Trump’s “dead economy” remark about India, accusing him of defaming the country.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde (Image: PTI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday slammed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “dead economy” remark, questioning his patriotism and accusing him of ‘defaming’ the country.
“So, is he happy about our country’s defamation?… What kind of patriotism is this? Even during Operation Sindoor, Congress raised questions about jawans. They don’t ask about the Jawans who were killed by Pakistan. This is not patriotism. This is ‘Pakistan prem’,” Shinde told reporters.
This comes after Rahul Gandhi on Thursday latched on to US President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs imposition on India and “dead economy” remark to slam the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
He lashed out at the government, saying that the Republican leader is right in saying that the Indian economy is “dead”.
#WATCH | On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde says, “So, is he happy about our country’s defamation?…What kind of patriotism is this? Even during Operation Sindoor, Congress raised questions about jawans…This is not patriotism. This is ‘Pakistan… https://t.co/VB31zgpOn9 pic.twitter.com/ETNaUWZ5cM— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2025
When asked to comment on Trump’s dead economy remark, Rahul Gandhi said that he agreed with the US President. “Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact… The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. BJP has finished the economy to help Adani,” he said.
The LoP further alleged that the BJP government has destroyed India’s economic, defence and foreign policy. “PM Modi works only for one person- Adani. This (India-US trade) deal will take place, and PM Modi will do exactly what Trump says,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump cited India’s high tariffs, stringent non-monetary trade barriers and continued military and energy ties with Russia as the basis for the move.
“India is our friend, but we have… done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high… and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non‑monetary trade barriers of any country,” Donald Trump wrote.
He further criticised India’s defence and energy relationship with Russia, saying, “They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE- ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!”
“INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST,” he concluded.
Later, he criticised India’s trade policies and its ties with Russia. In his post, Trump dismissed concerns over India’s relationship with Moscow, stating, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
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