Congress President and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday reacted to the reciprocal tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump, saying that the friendship of Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows that the US President is a businessman and ‘our customer got trapped’.
Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, “Their friendship (Trump and PM Modi) and the way they hug and talk shows that America (Trump) is a businessman. Aur wo humara customer phas gaya (And our customer got trapped).”
Kharge’s remarks came hours after the US President announced 27 percent reciprocal tariffs on India, saying New Delhi imposes high import duties on American goods, as the Donald Trump administration aims to reduce the country’s trade deficit and boost manufacturing.
The move is expected to impact India’s exports to the US. However, experts say that India is better-placed than its competitors, who also face increased levies.
Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs
US President, in his remarks from the Rose Garden at the White House on Wednesday, said, “This is Liberation Day, a long-awaited moment. April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again. We are going to make it wealthy, good, and wealthy.”
He also said that the US charges other countries only a 2.4 percent tariff on motorcycles, but others are charging higher. Announcing the tariffs, Trump held up a chart that showed the tariffs that countries such as India charge, along with the reciprocal tariffs that these countries will now have to pay.
As per PTI, the chart showed that India charged 52 percent tariffs, including currency manipulation and trade barriers, and the US would now charge India a “discounted reciprocal tariff” of 26 percent. However, the documents from the White House indicate that there will be a 27 percent duty on India.
“India, very, very tough. Very, very tough. The prime minister just left. He’s a great friend of mine, but I said, you’re a friend of mine, but you’re not treating us right. They charge us 52 percent. You have to understand, we charge them almost nothing for years and years and decades, and it was only seven years ago, when I came in, that we started with China,” Trump said.
India’s Reaction To US Tariffs
An Indian official has described the tariffs as a “mixed bag and not a setback”. The official also said that the commerce ministry is analysing the impact of 27 percent reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on India.
PTI quoted the official saying, “The ministry is analysing the impact of the announced tariffs.” The agency also reported that the official said that there is a provision that if a country addresses the concerns of the US, its government can consider reducing the duties against that nation.
