Indian minister's 'dadagiri' jibe at Trump for imposing 50% tariff on India: Here's what he said

In an indirect jibe at United States President Donald Trump, Indian minister Nitin Gadkari has termed his tariff action on India as 'dadagiri.' The Hindi term 'dadagiri' roughly translates to 'big brother tactics' in English. Gadkari said that nations that are economically strong are indulging in bullying tactics while highlighting the need to reduce India's imports and increase exports. He also said that if India has resources and technology, it won't bully other countries because that is not what Indian culture teaches. Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, taunted the US president, saying 'some bosses' are unhappy with India's growth.

Speaking at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) in Nagpur, Gadkari said, "If the rate of our exports and economy increases, then I don't think we will need to go to anyone. Those who are indulging in `dadagiri' are doing so because they are economically strong, and they have technology. If we get better technology and resources, we will not bully anyone, because our culture teaches us that the welfare of the world is most important." Meanwhile, the Defence Minister on Sunday said, "They think that we are everyone's boss, and how is India moving forward so fast?"

Tariff, Trump and PM Modi's remark

The comments by the top Indian ministers came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly stated that the country won't compromise with the agriculture and dairy sectors, and he is ready to pay a price to safeguard the interests of the farmers. Without taking Trump's name, PM Modi hinted about India's stance in trade talks with the US. Meanwhile, US President Trump ruled out any possibility of talks with India until the issues are solved. He did not clarify what issues he meant in his statement, but it seems he was talking about India's trading relations with Russia. The US imposed a 25 per cent tariff on India on Aug 1 after both countries failed to strike a trade deal. Days later, Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent as punishment due to India's purchase of oil from Russia. He also warned of a 'penalty' on BRICS countries and countries continuing trade with Russia.