Last Updated:
The additional tariff, to come into effect after 21 days, will increase the duties on some Indian goods to 50 per cent.
After Trump issued an executive order slapping the additional tariff, India said that it will “take all actions” necessary to protect national interests.
(PTI File Image)
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday called US President Donald Trump’s additional tariffs on Indian goods an attempt to bully India into an “unfair” trade deal.
The Congress MP also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not let his “weakness” override the interests of the Indian people.
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.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2025
India Hits Back At Trump’s 25% Additional Tariffs: ‘Unfair, Unjustified And Unreasonable’
After Trump issued an executive order slapping the additional tariff, India said that it will “take all actions” necessary to protect national interests.
Defending India’s energy ties with Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of the country.
The additional tariff, to come into effect after 21 days, will increase the duties on some Indian goods to 50 per cent. The tariffs are likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather hard.
How Other Congress Leaders Reacted
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Trump’s new tariff will make Indian goods unaffordable to Americans and suggested that India needs to explore other markets.
“I’m afraid that if you look at people like Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, even Bangladesh and Pakistan have lower tariffs than us, then ultimately people will not be buying goods from us in America if they can buy them cheaper elsewhere. So that’s not very good for our exports to America. This means we need to very seriously diversify to other countries and other markets that may be interested in what we have to offer. We now have an FTA with the UK. We are talking to the EU. There are many countries in which hopefully we would be able to, but in the short term, it is definitely a blow,” he said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera dubbed Trump’s additional tariff as “pure and simple blackmail.” He also targeted Prime Minister Modi over the country’s foreign policy.
“It is surprising that we have reached this spot, where we can be bullied around by a superpower…Over the last 11 years, the track record of our foreign policy, diplomacy, the Prime Minister’s own initiatives abroad, diaspora events, everything was targeted at projecting the Prime Minister and his image, not the country’s interests. Here we are paying a price for 11 years of self-projection at the expense of the country…We hope that no negotiation which undermines our interests takes place,” he said.
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
view comments
Read More
