'56-inch chest': How Opposition reacted as India has 20 days to avoid 50% Trump tariffs
While criticism poured in from across party lines, the issue also triggered a rare moment of bipartisan unity. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi labelled Donald Trump a 'bully' and accused him of using economic pressure tactics.
'Trump's 50% tariff is economic blackmail — an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal,' Rahul Gandhi posted on X on Wednesday night.
'PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people,' the Congress MP added.
The comment marked a stark reversal from just days earlier, when Gandhi had accused Modi of "killing the Indian economy", seemingly agreeing with Trump's 'dead' economy remark.
Another Congress MP Shashi Tharoor escalated his criticism of Trump, urging the India government to respond in kind by raising tariffs on American goods.
'It will definitely have an impact because we have a trade of $90 billion with them, and if everything becomes 50 per cent more expensive, buyers will also think why should they buy Indian things?... If they do this, we should also impose a 50 per cent tariff on American exports... It is not that any country can threaten us like this,' he told reporters on Thursday.
Tharoor questioned why India should continue with the current 17 per cent average tariff on US goods. 'Why should we stop at 17%? We should also raise it to 50 per cent... We need to ask them, do they not value our relationship? If India doesn't matter to them, they should also not matter to us,' he said.
How other Opposition leaders reacted
Abhishek Banerjee: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee led the charge, calling the steep tariff hike a 'diplomatic failure". Speaking in Kolkata, he said, 'Those who click photographs with (US President) Donald Trump and campaigned for him in Texas should answer why such steep tariffs have been imposed. This is a diplomatic failure. It will severely affect India's economy.'
Banerjee, the newly appointed TMC Lok Sabha leader, accused the BJP of 'boasting about India's global clout while failing to protect economic interests.'
He warned that the tariffs would hit jobs, exports, and key sectors like IT, pharma, and textiles. 'The economy is now in the ICU,' he added, blaming the Modi government's foreign policy for the crisis.
"Those who used to talk about their '56-inch chest' are now being shown red eyes by other countries," Banerjee said, adding that the imposition of tariffs and the lack of global condemnation for the recent Pahalgam terror attack are indicators of India's diplomatic isolation.
Siddaramaiah: In Karnataka, chief minister Siddaramaiah termed the tariff move 'economic blackmail' and said it was the result of Modi's obsession with 'headline management over real diplomacy.'
Backing Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's criticism, Siddaramaiah said, 'His warning on Trump's 50 per cent tariff is no different. It is economic blackmail—the result of PM @narendramodi prioritising headline management over real diplomacy and national interest.'
Siddaramaiah also accused Modi of pandering to Trump, recalling slogans like 'Abki Baar Trump Sarkar' and events like 'Howdy Modi' and 'Namaste Trump'.
'But Trump wasn't impressed. He saw it not as diplomacy, but surrender,' the chief minister said.
Priyanka Chaturvedi: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called Trump's move 'hypocrisy' and said India cannot be bullied into a trade deal.
'The way Donald Trump is particularly targeting India about Russian Oil, totally forgetting his own hypocrisy of doing trade with Russia... We cannot be bullied into a deal,' she said.
Chaturvedi warned of serious consequences for Indian exporters, stating, 'Many of our exporters are going to be impacted by this tariff, making Indian goods unreachable and not viable for American consumers.'
Karti Chidambaram: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also questioned the Modi government's claims of a 'special relationship' with Trump.
'The special relationship which the Indian administration claimed to have with President Trump, doesn't exist,' he said. He demanded that the government take Parliament into confidence and outline a clear response strategy.
Pappu Yadav: Independent MP Pappu Yadav said, 'Because of the 50% tariff that the US has imposed on us, our pharmaceutical industry will collapse.'
Asaduddin Owaisi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a direct swipe at Trump, calling the move 'bullying by the buffoon-in-chief".
He accused the Modi government of silence and strategic surrender. 'These tariffs will hurt Indian exporters, MSMEs, and manufacturers... Was selling out our strategic autonomy worth filling your friends' billionaire coffers?' he wrote on X.
Uddhav Thackeray: The supremo of Shiv Sena (UBT) said Trump was 'mocking India and Narendra Modi' and that the PM had failed to respond strongly. 'Trump is mocking India and Narendra Modi. We are unable to respond to him, let alone seek answers from him. This government has failed on the foreign policy front,' he said.
The latest round of criticism comes after Trump announced a separate 25% tariff on Indian goods on Wednesday, set to take effect in 21 days, in response to India's continued purchases of Russian oil. The decision has raised concerns about potential economic fallout across multiple sectors.
The ministry of external affairs has termed the US action 'unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,' vowing to protect India's national interests.
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