‘Unfair, attempt to bully India’: Rahul Gandhi on Trump’s additional tariff

Leader of Opposition(LOP) in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed US President Donald Trump's additional 25 per cent tariff on India an "economic blackmail" to bully India into an unfair trade deal.

"Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail - an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal. PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people," the Leader of Opposition said in post on X.

In an executive order, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff rate on India for its continued purchase of Russian crude oil. The tariff is scheduled to take effect in three weeks and will be imposed in addition to a separate 25 per cent duty taking effect this Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Rahul targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “silence” over Trump's tariff threats. He alleged that Modi can't take a stand against Trump despite his repeated tariff threats because of the "US investigation into Adani."

"India please understand: The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing US investigation into Adani," the Congress leader said in a post on X.

"One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA, and Russian oil deals," Rahul said, adding, "Modi’s hands are tied."