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Congress MP Manish Tewari said Trump’s tariffs had given the “biggest tribute” to “Indian strategic exceptionalism” and would not affect its strategic autonomy.
Congress MP Manish Tewari. (PTI File Photo)
As the Congress party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on US President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on Indian imports, party leader Manish Tewari came to the defence of the Narendra Modi government, calling the tariffs a “tribute to Indian strategic exceptionalism”.
Breaking away from the party line, Tewari wrote on X, “The @realDonaldTrump has perhaps given the biggest tribute to Indian strategic exceptionalism and strategic autonomy now stretching back to 1947.”
The Congress MP also highlighted that India has always chosen to engage with the world on its own terms, from Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy of non-alignment to PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The @realDonaldTrump has perhaps given the biggest tribute to Indian strategic exceptionalism and strategic autonomy now stretching back to 1947.The Policy of Non alignment that was put in place by India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru now called multi alignment and… pic.twitter.com/lvlovI89c4
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 30, 2025
“The Policy of Non alignment that was put in place by India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru now called multi alignment and self reliance put in place by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi now called Atam Nirbhar Bharat are the strategic continuums that provides the Indian state with the flexibility to engage with the world on it’s own terms and in it’s best national interest,” he added.
He further said that Trump’s tariff threats would not make any difference to India’s strategic autonomy that has been built up over decades, but can damage the “larger fabric” of the India-US engagement. Notably, Manish Tewari had penned a cryptic note earlier after not being allowed to speak by the Congress in the Operation Sindoor debate in the Parliament.
Congress On Trump’s Tariffs
Trump on Wednesday announced that a 25% tariff will be imposed on Indian imports starting August 1, along with an additional unspecified penalty, dashing hopes of an interim trade deal as negotiations are still underway.
Trump cited India’s high tariffs, stringent non-monetary trade barriers, and continued military and energy ties with Russia as the key reasons behind the move.
ALSO READ: ‘Govt To Take All Necessary Steps For National Interest’: India Reacts To Trump’s 25% Tariffs
The Congress, which was among the first to react, taunted the Narendra Modi-led Centre by saying India is “paying the price” of the Prime Minister’s “friendship” with US President Donald Trump.
“Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on India, along with a penalty. The country is paying the price for Narendra Modi’s ‘friendship.’,” (sic) the Congress said in a post on X. “Modi campaigned for Trump, hugged him enthusiastically, got photos taken and made them trend on social media. In the end, Trump slapped tariffs on India. India’s foreign policy has completely failed.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mocked the PM over the tariffs, saying all the “tariff” between Trump and ‘Howdy Modi’ had meant little.
“Mr. Modi thought that if he kept quiet on the insults that the US President has hurled on India — the 30 claims of stopping Op Sindoor, the special lunch for the Pakistan Army Chief whose inflammatory remarks provided the immediate backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks, and US support for financial packages to Pakistan from the IMF and the World Bank — India would get special treatment at the hands of President Trump. Clearly that has NOT happened.”
Other parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), also urged the Prime Minister to make India’s next move clear. The Indian government said it had taken note of Trump’s announcement and was studying its implications.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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