Leaders in India slam Trump's 50% tariff threat over Russian oil

  Leaders across India's political spectrum on Thursday strongly reacted to US President Donald Trump's announcement of imposing a punitive 25 per cent tariff on India for continuing to buy oil from Russia – a move that would raise total tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent. 

In a sharp rebuke, Indian leaders questioned Washington's authority to "punish" sovereign countries for pursuing independent foreign policy and warned that retaliatory measures would be considered if the tariffs were not rolled back. 

Trump was singling out India, even though countries like China and Turkey continue to import oil from Russia.

India officially described the move as "extremely unfortunate", saying it was being penalised for actions that "several other countries are also taking in their own national interest." 

Reacting to the developments, BJP MP Shashank Mani Tripathi told IANS, "I believe it is wrong for any country to impose tariffs on another simply because it maintains good relations with a third country. The US itself continues to buy a significant amount from Russia. The US cannot punish other countries – it doesn't have the authority. I believe that Trump would be forced to take back all the tariffs imposed on our democratic nation." 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed the US for "double standards and told IANS, "The way Donald Trump is selectively targeting India while ignoring other countries that deal with Russia suggests a certain political bias. It seems like an attempt to isolate or bully India into signing trade deals on their terms."

"India is under no compulsion to compromise its national interest or sovereignty. If tariffs have been imposed, we must also consider retaliatory measures. The Trade Minister should inform the people about our stance. Trading with us and then donating to Pakistan just shows the hypocrisy of the US. America should roll back the tariffs," Chaturvedi added.

AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal questioned the inconsistency in US policy. Speaking to IANS, he said, "When the US itself imports uranium, chemicals, fertilisers, and metals from Russia, where do those go? Your European allies traded $68 billion with Russia last year –  why didn't you impose similar actions on them? Why this double standard?"

"I would like to say that the US should follow one consistent policy – the same one it follows with Europe and other nations. They should stop issuing such threats to India. Neither will India bow down to their pressure, nor will it accept their unreasonable demands," he added.

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav, however, said that since the relations between Washington and New Delhi go way back, the focus should be on further strengthening the bilateral ties.

"We must maintain our relationship with the United States, a powerful nation with which we've had ties not just recently, but for a long time. The focus should be on how to strengthen and improve those relations further," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress President H Sapkal criticised the government's handling of foreign affairs.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "Our foreign policy is unfortunately weak, and its effects have been visible for quite some time. To please a select handful of people, whatever India is doing is resulting in consequences that every common citizen has to bear. The nation should be put first, and rational thinking is necessary on this matter."

Indo-Asian News Service