Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said India should respond strongly to the United States’ latest tariff hike by imposing a matching 50 per cent tariff on American goods.
The remark came after the US, under President Donald Trump, announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports, taking the total tariff level to 50 per cent.
“Our average tariff on American goods is 17%. Why should we stop at 17%? We should raise it to 50% as well,” Tharoor said, addressing reporters. “We should not allow any country to threaten us like this. If they don’t value the India-US relationship, then why should we?”
Tharoor warned that the move would impact bilateral trade, which stands at over $90 billion. “If everything becomes 50% more expensive, buyers will naturally reconsider purchasing Indian goods. But if they are doing this, we must respond in kind,” he added.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing the additional tariffs, citing national security and foreign policy concerns. The order alleged that India’s continued imports of Russian crude oil posed an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” and said it would take “all necessary steps to safeguard national interests.”
Meanwhile, a senior US administration official, speaking to ANI, claimed there was “no comparison” between India’s “hundreds of billions” of dollars in Russian oil imports and the US’s “modest” Russian trade, which accounts for less than 1% of India’s total. (Agencies)
