Kharge Decries Trump’s 50% Tariff on India, Calls It a Disaster

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unleashed a scathing attack on the Modi government, labeling US President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 50% tariff on Indian goods a “foreign policy disaster.” The stinging rebuke comes in the wake of Trump’s executive order, signed on Wednesday, which slapped an additional 25% tariff on India for its continued purchase of Russian oil, bringing the total levy on Indian exports to a crippling 50%. This follows an earlier 25% tariff set to take effect today, August 7, 2025, severely impacting sectors like textiles, leather, and marine exports.

Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, accused the Modi government of being “clueless” in handling the escalating trade crisis. In a fiery post on X, he emphasized India’s commitment to strategic autonomy, rooted in the Non-Aligned Movement, asserting that no nation can arbitrarily penalize India without facing its resolve. “From the threats of the 7th fleet to nuclear test sanctions, India has navigated US relations with dignity. Trump’s tariffs expose our diplomacy’s disastrous dithering,” Kharge declared.

He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to secure a trade deal with the US despite months of negotiations. “Modi stayed silent when Trump claimed—30 times and counting—that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. On November 30, 2024, Modi smirked as Trump declared ‘BRICS dead’ and threatened 100% tariffs on BRICS nations,” Kharge alleged, highlighting what he sees as diplomatic inaction.

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Kharge pointed out that India’s exports to the US, valued at approximately ₹7.51 lakh crore in 2024, now face an economic burden of ₹3.75 lakh crore due to the 50% tariff. Sectors like MSMEs, agriculture, dairy, engineering goods, electronics, gems and jewellery, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, and cotton clothing are expected to bear the brunt. “Your ministers camped in Washington for days, yet you failed to negotiate. Trump is intimidating us, and you remain silent,” he charged, noting the government’s lack of preparedness in the Union Budget to cushion the blow to these industries.

The tariffs, part of Trump’s executive order titled Addressing Threats to the US by the Government of the Russian Federation, target India’s energy ties with Russia. India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, imports about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil, accounting for 35% of its oil needs. Despite Trump’s threats, Indian officials have maintained that these purchases, made below the EU’s price cap, stabilize global oil prices.

Kharge’s critique has sparked a heated debate, with opposition leaders rallying behind his call for stronger diplomatic pushback. As India braces for the economic fallout, all eyes are on how the Modi government will respond to this unprecedented trade challenge by August 27, when the new tariffs take effect.

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