'It's time govt develop a spine': Opposition rips into PM Modi over US tariff response

NEW DELHI: The Congress and other opposition parties on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the imposition of a 27 percent reciprocal tariff on India by the US, pushing the Centre to "develop a spine" and defend national interests.
Leading the charge, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi warned that the tariffs would "completely devastate" the Indian economy, particularly impacting industries like automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, LoP Gandhi demanded answers from the government regarding its response to the new US tariffs.
"Somebody once asked Indira Gandhi ji—'In the matter of foreign policy you lean left or you lean right,' and Indira Gandhi ji answered, 'I don't lean left or right, I stand straight. I am Indian and I stand straight'," he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also took a swipe at PM Modi, saying that the tariff imposition shows how US leadership operates as a businessman while "our customer" got trapped.
"Their friendship of hugging, laughing, 'once again Trump' slogan shows that America is a businessman and our customer got trapped," Kharge said, referring to PM Modi’s past praise for US President Donald Trump.
Kharge, who is also the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, added that Congress would soon release a detailed statement on the issue.

Congress MP Manish Tewari termed the additional tariff a "complete failure" of negotiations between the central government and the Trump administration.
"America has gone ahead and done what it wanted to do. Coupled with that, you have the unfortunate situation where the visas of Indian students are being cancelled en masse. The government of India is not raising its voice," he said.
"It's time the government develop a spine and start standing up for Indian interests and Indian people," he added.
Samajwadi Party MP Rajiv Rai criticised PM Modi over the tariffs, arguing that a nation’s "credibility and strength" does not grow through one-sided admiration or superficial friendships.
"Modi will have to reply why the US is mistreating India," Rai said.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh also hit out at the Modi government, warning that the tariffs would negatively affect key Indian industries such as textiles, engineering, and gems and jewellery, impacting the livelihoods of lakhs of workers.
"This is a huge challenge for the Indian economy. Modi government is engaging in politics of destruction, politics of photo opportunity. The government should make a statement on how they intend to respond to this tariff war unleashed by President Donald Trump," she said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the tariff imposition "disturbing," acknowledging that it could make some of India's exports to the US less competitive.
"The truth of the matter is, as far as we are concerned, it's one of the few major economies with which we have a positive trade balance. We are exporting (goods) worth about $74 billion to them and the export balance in our favour is about $45 billion. It's not a small amount. If that goes down significantly, naturally, it will affect our economy a bit," he explained.
Tharoor pointed out that there is about a nine-month window for India to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with the US.
"I think we have to see what kind of negotiations our people are able to conduct and how best we can use that window till September-October in order to get a more favourable outcome which may dilute some of these provisions," he said.
"In the short term, the American consumers will also be hurt by all of this... The American consumers are going to have to pay more and that may perhaps create some pressure to reconsider the policy. Let's see...," he added.

BJP defends India's trade policy

Responding to the criticism, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma defended India's foreign policy, asserting that the country would not bow to external pressure.
"India is the world's fifth-largest economy. The country has implemented measures for self-reliance and self-employment. It is now moving ahead firmly. If a country is framing its policy, then India will also frame its policy," Sharma said.
The US has justified the additional 27 percent import duties on India by citing high tariffs imposed by New Delhi on American goods. The Trump administration has positioned the move as part of its efforts to reduce the trade deficit and boost US manufacturing.
While the tariffs are expected to impact India's exports in certain sectors, experts note that India is still better placed than competitors like Bangladesh (37 percent), China (54 percent), Vietnam (46 percent), and Thailand (36 percent), which are also facing higher levies.