Trump imposes 25% tariff on India: Here's how the opposition reacted

US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on India on Wednesday (July 30). Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, the American president wrote, "Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country."

"Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE killing in UKRAINE - ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIAN WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. Thank you for your ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!" Trump added.

In a subsequent post, Trump said, "WE HAVE A MASSIVE TRADE DEFICIT WITH INDIA!!!"

How did India's opposition react?

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on the social media platform X, "President Trump has slapped a tariff of 25% plus penalty on imports from India. All that taarif between him and Howdy Modi has meant little."

"Mr. Modi thought that if he kept quiet on the insults that the US President has hurled on India -- the 30 claims of stopping Op Sindoor, the special lunch for the Pakistan Army Chief whose inflammatory remarks provided the immediate backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks, and US support for financial packages to Pakistan from the IMF and the World Bank --- India would get special treatment at the hands of President Trump. Clearly that has NOT happened," the Congress leader added. "He should take inspiration from Indira Gandhi and stand up to the US President," Ramesh added.

Another Congress leader, Ujjwal Raman Singh, said, "The people of India will not bow down before America...We have been saying that India's foreign policy has failed, and now we are seeing our economic policy also failing."

Moreover, Congress MP Udit Raj wrote, Has the US become India’s sovereign authority? Trump has unilaterally declared 25% tariffs, in addition to a penalty levied for buying oil and weapons from Russia. Rahul Gandhi has exhorted PM Modi in Parliament that he should get inspiration from Mrs Indira Gandhi, and there is still time to think and act. PM Modi should immediately dare to reply in the same coin."

Congress spokesperson Suprya Shrinate wrote on X, "This will be disastrous for the Indian economy. US President Donald Trump announces a 25% tariff on India besides a penalty for procuring oil and arms from Russia. This comes despite Mr Modi bending backwards to woo Mr Trump. This is a clear sign of how the BJP Govt and the Prime Minister have compromised India’s national interest."

"This move will have far reaching consequences on our economy, on our domestic industry, our exports and in turn employment. One wonders, what did Mr Modi discuss when he rushed to see the US President without an invitation?" she further wrote. "What did ‘Namaste Trump’, ‘Howdy Modi’, ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ really yield for India?" she added.

Meanwhile, Trump's announcement also led to reactions from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, Certainly, the Government of India will take cognisance of it. We have to wait and watch how the Government of India reacts to it. In my personal opinion, it is unfortunate."

Also, not an opposition party though but the Indian regional party, TDP, also reacted on the matter as TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, "...I think we will absorb this. In the long run, the American markets will realise and definitely reduce the tariffs...We have to see how this will impact..."