'Economic blackmail': Oppn on Trump's extra tariff

United States President Donald Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on India on Wednesday as a ‘penalty’ for the continued import of Russian oil, effectively taking the total tariff to 50%. Amid rising concerns over the steep

tariff hike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the country would never compromise their interests and that farmers remain India's top priority. Leaders from the Opposition parties strongly reacted to the move, calling it ‘economic blackmail’ and ‘double standard’.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi

Reacting to Trump’s decision to impose an extra 25%, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the move ‘economic blackmail’ and “an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal”. In an X post, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “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.”

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.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2025

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi

Calling it ‘bullying by the buffoon-in-chief’, Owaisi slammed Trump for imposing the additional tariff. On X, he said that these 'tariffs will hurt Indian exporters, MSMEs, and manufacturers.'

“Trump just slapped another 25% tariff on India, taking it to 50%, because we bought oil from Russia. This isn’t diplomacy, it’s

bullying by the buffoon-in-chief, who clearly doesn’t understand how global trade works. Where are those BJP muscle-flexers now?” he wrote.

Trump just slapped another 25% tariff on India, taking it to 50%, because we bought oil from Russia. This isn’t diplomacy, it’s bullying by the buffoon-in-chief who clearly doesn’t understand how global trade works.

These tariffs will hurt Indian exporters, MSMEs, and… https://t.co/b4YpRGHCtd

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 7, 2025

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

On Wednesday, Shashi Tharoor slammed the US for ‘double standards’ in imposing the extra 25% tariff. Speaking with reporters, he said the move will make “our goods unaffordable to a lot of people in America.”

“Uranium, Palladium, there are various things they (US) are importing from Russia. There is, unfortunately, a certain double standard

involved. They have given the Chinese a 90-day break, but the Chinese are importing far more Russian oil than we are. So, clearly this has not been a particularly friendly gesture from a country we thought was well disposed towards us, an administration that we thought was well disposed,” he said.

#WATCH | On US President Trump imposing an additional 25% tariff on India over Russian oil purchases, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "Uranium, Palladium, there are various things they (US) are importing from Russia. There is, unfortunately, a certain double standard involved.… pic.twitter.com/jUoFYhNtN6

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2025

Tharoor on Thursday stated that India should also raise tariffs to 50% in response to the recent decision. “We should also impose a 50% tariff on American exports. It is not that any country can threaten us like this. Our average tariffs on

American goods are 17%. Why should we stop at 17%? We should also raise it to 50%..."

#WATCH | Delhi: On US President Donald Trump's imposition of an additional 25% tariff on India's purchase of Russian oil, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "It will definitely have an impact because we have a trade of $90 billion with them, and if everything becomes 50% more… pic.twitter.com/JelkBnlBqV

— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also reacted to Trump's decision and accused the Modi government of being ‘clueless on how to deal with it.’

“India's national interest is supreme. Any nation that arbitrarily penalises India for our time-tested policy of strategic autonomy, which is embedded in the ideology of non-alignment, doesn't understand the steel frame India is made of,” he wrote on X.

“Trump's 50% tariffs come at a time when our diplomacy is disastrously dithering. Your Govt is CLUELESS how to deal with it. You can't even blame this FOREIGN POLICY DISASTER on the 70 years of Congress!!” Kharge added.

India's national interest is supreme. Any nation that arbitrarily penalises India for our time-tested policy of strategic autonomy, which is embedded in the ideology of Non-alignment, doesn't understand the steel frame India is made of.

From the threats of 7th fleet to the…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 7, 2025

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

On Thursday, CM Siddaramaiah accused PM Narendra Modi of “prioritising headline management over real diplomacy and national interest.” In a post on X, he praised Rahul Gandhi for criticising several decisions taken by the BJP government.

“His warning on US President @realDonaldTrump’s 50% tariff is no different. It is economic blackmail — the result of PM @narendramodi prioritising headline management over real diplomacy and national interest. Now, Trump hits India with unfair tariffs. Worse, he’s coercing us to cut ties with Russia — a direct attack on our sovereignty. No foreign power can dictate our trade choices. Ignoring the Leader of the Opposition's prescient warnings has cost the nation enough. It’s time for the Modi Government to grow up — and act in India’s interest,” he wrote.

I fully agree with Shri @RahulGandhi.

Be it GST, demonetisation, Chinese aggression, the Modani nexus, or COVID failures, farm laws, Rafale, PM CARES, and electoral bonds — Shri Rahul Gandhi called them out early. The BJP mocked him. But he was proven right, again and again.… https://t.co/YoqJCBKY0U

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 7, 2025

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi

Reacting to the decision of an additional 25% on Indian goods, MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called it ‘hypocrisy’ and added that Trump was unfairly targeting the country for buying oil from Russia.

“The way Donald Trump is particularly targeting India about Russian Oil, totally forgetting his hypocrisy of doing trade with Russia, the EU's trade with Russia, and also China's trade with Russia, and even Turkey has been a big buyer of Russian oil. India will keep its national interest, strategic

relationships, as well as sovereignty above everything else. It is well within our rights to respond the way we have to. We cannot be bullied into a deal," she told ANI.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Ashok Kumar Mittal

MP Ashok Kumar Mittal criticised Trump's announcement of a 25% additional tariff and called it ‘illogical’. “Yes, we are purchasing oil from Russia. Who is he to stop us? He is purchasing uranium, certain critical metals from Russia. His allies, European countries, are purchasing oil from Russia. China is purchasing oil from Russia...You can't

have double standards, double policies. He will have to withdraw his illogical orders, illogical tariffs," he said.

#WATCH | Delhi | On US President Trump announcing 25% extra tariff on India, AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal says, "Yes, we are purchasing oil from Russia. Who is he to stop us? He himself is purchasing uranium, certain critical metals from Russia. His allies, European countries, are… pic.twitter.com/40q3ONaUFP

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2025

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Narendra Modi government on Thursday, saying the country has been cornered from all sides and remains ‘under threat.’ Speaking with reporters, the former Uttar Pradesh CM claimed that India's foreign policy has proved to be ‘unsuccessful.’

“We have been unsuccessful in our foreign policy. We haven't been able to double the income

of our farmers as promised. The youth are unemployed. Our country, our economy, our farmers, and our youth are under threat. India has been cornered from all four sides,” he added.

#WATCH | Delhi: On PM Narendra Modi's statement, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, "BJP should have thought about it 10 years ago that we need to always be worried about the interests of our farmers, agriculture, and dairy products, and we should focus on each and every… https://t.co/5L06ZBNQFE pic.twitter.com/Bz4mXUzAfJ

— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025