NEW DELHI – A political and economic crisis has gripped India following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase tariffs on Indian goods, pushing the total duty to an unprecedented 50%.
This aggressive move, a direct response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, has triggered a furious response from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who has called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down, labeling him a “weak and failed ruler.”
In a scathing attack that has dominated headlines, Gandhi slammed the new tariffs as “economic blackmail” and a “national embarrassment.” Taking his outrage to social media, he tweeted,
“Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail. Modi, the time to ignore the people is over. Step down and give the country a chance to fix itself.”
The Congress leader’s condemnation went further, with him demanding that the Modi government provide full transparency on other pressing national issues, including the recent Pakistan ceasefire and the destruction of the Rafale jets.
Other opposition leaders have joined the chorus, accusing the Prime Minister of a failure of leadership and of “hiding” while the U.S. imposes increasingly punitive measures.
The White House, in a statement accompanying the new tariff, justified the action by saying India’s oil purchases “undermine U.S. efforts to counter Russia’s harmful activities.”
The new 25% tariff will take effect on August 27, stacking on top of the 25% tariff that was already in place.
While the Indian government, through the Ministry of External Affairs, has officially called the U.S. actions “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” the opposition’s highly charged rhetoric has shifted the focus from a trade dispute to a full-blown domestic political battle.
Experts fear that the 50% tariff will severely damage India’s export-oriented sectors, making Indian goods uncompetitive and threatening thousands of jobs. The move has also cast a dark shadow over future U.S.-India trade negotiations, which are now in serious jeopardy.
