Washington: US President Donald Trump once again mounted a sharp attack on India and Russia for their close ties and said that the two countries can take their “dead economies down together”.
The US president’s fresh criticism of New Delhi and Moscow came hours after announcing 25 percent tariffs against India, plus a “penalty” for its trade with Russia.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” he said.
“We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” he added.
The previous day, Trump announced the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment.
The surprise announcement came a day after Indian officials said that a US trade team would visit from August 25 to negotiate a trade deal.
The announcement is being seen as a pressure tactic to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US, which has, in recent days, got favourable trade deals with major partners like Japan, the UK and the European Union.
Trump termed India’s trade policies as “most strenuous and obnoxious”.
“All things not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August first,” Trump said in a social media post.
The penalty was announced as India has made large purchases of oil and military equipment from Russia. India is the first country to face a penalty for Russian imports.
India’s import of crude oil from Russia has risen from 0.2 percent of total purchases before the Russia-Ukraine war to 35-40 percent. New Delhi is the largest buyer of Russian oil after China.
Trump said though India is America’s friend, “we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their (India) tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country.”
He said India has always purchased a significant amount of military equipment and energy products from Russia at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the “killing” in Ukraine.
Everybody knows Indian economy is dead: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said everybody except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman know that the Indian economy is “dead”, as he alleged that the BJP-led government has destroyed the country’s economic, defence and foreign policies.
Speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also claimed that a trade deal with the US will happen and Trump will define it, while Prime Minister Modi will do what the American President tells him to do.
“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,” Gandhi said.
Indian economy destroyed for Adani: Rahul
Gandhi alleged that the BJP has destroyed the Indian economy in order to help billionaire Gautam Adani.
“The External Affairs Minister gives a speech that we have a genius foreign policy. On one hand, the US is abusing you and on the other hand China is after, and thirdly when you send delegations across the globe then no country condemns Pakistan. How are they running the country? They don’t know how to run the country,” Gandhi said.
Referring to Modi’s speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Gandhi said the PM neither took Trump’s name nor of China
“He (Modi) did not say that no country condemned Pakistan. Trump is having lunch with Pakistan military chief who was behind the Pahalgam attack, and they are saying there has been a big success. What success is this? he said.
“Trump has said 30 times that I got the ceasefire done (between India and Pakistan). Trump said five planes of India were downed, he is now saying I will put a 25 per cent tariff. Did you ask why Modi is not able to answer, what is the reason? Who has the control?” he said.
Gandhi further said the main issue in front of India today is that the government has “destroyed” the country’s economic, defence and foreign policies.
“They are running this country into the ground. The prime minister works only for one person – Adani. All small businesses have been wiped out,” he said.
Referring to the India-US trade deal that is under negotiation, Gandhi said this deal will happen and Trump will define how this deal will happen.
“Modi will do what Trump tells him to do,” the former Congress president said.
Later, in a post on X, Gandhi said, “THE INDIAN ECONOMY IS DEAD. Modi killed it. 1.Adani-Modi partnership. 2. Demonetisation and a flawed GST 3. Failed ‘Assemble in India’ 4. MSMEs wiped out.5. Farmers crushed.”
He alleged that Modi has destroyed the future of India’s youth because there are no jobs.
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