New Delhi [India], July 30 : BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Wednesday said that the Goverment will take cognizance of the announcement of 25 per cent tariffs imposed on US President Donald Trump on India.
"Certainly, the Government of India will take cognisance of it. We have to wait and watch how the Government of India reacts to it. In my personal opinion, it is unfortunate." BJP leader Praveen Khandelwal said.
Khandelwal said that the trade industry will take a call later on, based on the Government of India's response.
Trump also noted that New Delhi will have to pay an additional penalty due to its oil and military purchases from Russia in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Congress has accused PM Modi of pursuing a failed foreign policy built on personal diplomacy and photo-ops.
The Congress official handle wrote, "Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on India, along with a penalty. The country is paying the price for Narendra Modi's 'friendship.' Modi campaigned for Trump, Hugged him enthusiastically, Got photos taken and made them trend on social media In the end, Trump slapped tariffs on India. India's foreign policy has completely failed."
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh echoed the party line, adding historical and geopolitical context to the criticism. In a sharp statement, Ramesh said, "President Trump has slapped a tariff of 25% plus penalty on imports from India. All that taarif between him and Howdy Modi has meant little.
"Mr. Modi thought that if he kept quiet on the insults that the US President has hurled on India -- the 30 claims of stopping Op Sindoor, the special lunch for the Pakistan Army Chief whose inflammatory remarks provided the immediate backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks, and US support for financial packages to Pakistan from the IMF and the World Bank --- India would get special treatment at the hands of President Trump," he added further.
"Clearly, that has NOT happened. He should take inspiration from Indira Gandhi and stand up to the US President," Ramesh mentioned further in his post.
This comes after, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that India will pay a 25 per cent tariff and an additional penalty for trade deficit. The tariffs will be imposed starting August 1.
"Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE - ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST 1st. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!", the US President said.