2 days ago
It Aint Over Till The Fat Lady Sings: Sri Lankan MP Backs India Amid US Tariff Blitz
Amid the United States' tariff blitz against India, Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva has backed New Delhi, urging the ruling party not to mock but to support its neighbour. While US President Donald Trump has hiked tariffs on India to 51%, those on Sri Lanka have been revised to 30%, reducing it from the initially threatened 44%. Some ruling party leaders in Sri Lanka were praising their government for keeping the tariff low compared to India.
Reacting to their remarks, Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva called out the ruling government for mocking India's bold stand against Trump's trade tariffs. "India, our true ally, stood by us in our toughest times. We should honor their fight, not laugh. India's courage inspires Asia," he said on X.
In a video shared on X, the Sri Lankan MP said, "Let's not talk about the US tariffs here. Don't laugh at India. Don't mock them when they are down because when we were down, they were the only ones to lend us a hand. There is one thing that I want to tell you - it ain't over until the fat lady sings. We witnessed you guys laughing. Don't laugh. India expected the US tariffs to come down to 15% and we also expected the same."
Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva was reminding his fellow MPs about India's $4B+ aid during the island nation's 2022 crisis when others didn't help. The video captures him scolding laughter amid tariff debates. US President Trump imposed 25% additional tariffs on Indian goods (totalling up to 50%) as punishment for India's Russian oil imports, which the US sees as funding Russia's Ukraine war. This sparked US-India tensions, with India pausing US arms buys.
"There is a chance that Sri Lanka may receive (additional) tariffs between 15-20%," said the MP.
Called out the Govt in @ParliamentLK for mocking India's bold stand against Trump's trade tariffs. #India, our true ally, stood by us in our toughest times. We should honor their fight, not laugh. India's courage inspires Asia! #StandWithIndia #SriLanka #TrumpTariffs — Harsha de Silva (@HarshadeSilvaMP) August 10, 2025
Notably, while China is the biggest importer of Russian oil, the US has maintained caution while dealing with Beijing. On the other hand, Trump has reportedly been irked after India refused to buzz down and did not open the Indian agri sector to American goods, thus inviting additional tariffs, a pressure tactic by the US to force India into a trade deal. However, the Narendra Modi government has maintained that it won't bow down to bullying by the United States.
