Manish Tewari slams Donald Trump's ‘bullying', asks Indian govt to show 'spine to stare this gentleman down'

Hindustan Times

19 hours ago

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday sharply reacted to US President Donald Trump's fresh threat to 'substantially raise tariffs" on goods from India over its energy ties with Russia, saying the time has come to call out 'constant bullying and hectoring'. Congress MP Manish Tewari arrives to attend the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi.(PTI)
Interacting with the media outside Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session, Manish Tewari hoped that the government of India would show the resolve and spine to firmly respond to Donald Trump's threats.
'Donald Trump's disparaging remarks hurt the dignity and self-respect of 1.4 crore Indians. I hope the government shows the resolve and spine to stare this gentleman down,' the senior Congress leader said.
'It's unfortunate that in international discourse, such vile language is being used by the President of the most powerful nation in the world. The time has come to call out this constant bullying and hectoring,' Tewari added.
Tewari further said India has a historical legacy of standing up against anything that threatens its national interest. 'Trump's tariff threats need to be met with a steadfast national resolve by the government of India,' he said.
Tewari's comments come hours after India on Monday mounted an unusually sharp counterattack on the US and the European Union for their "unjustified and unreasonable" targeting of New Delhi for its procurement of Russian crude oil.
Firmly rejecting the criticism, India pointed out the double standards in targeting it on the issue and said both the US and the EU are continuing their trade relations with Russia.
"Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel, and machinery and transport equipment, the MEA said in a late-evening statement.
"Where the US is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals," it added.
"In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the MEA said.
It said India has been "targeted" by the US and the EU for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict.
In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict, it said.
"The US at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability," the MEA said, adding India's imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumers.
"They are a necessity compelled by global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia," it said.
Earlier, US President Trump said his administration would substantially raise tariffs on India.
"India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits," he said in a social media post.
"They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)