'Don't mock India, they stood by us': Sri Lankan MP slams government in parliament, supports India amid US tariff row
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Don't mock India, they stood by us': Sri Lankan MP slams government in parliament, supports India amid US tariff row")
'Don't mock India, they stood by us': Sri Lankan MP slams government in parliament, supports India amid US tariff row Photograph: (Credit: X/@HarshadeSilvaMP)
Amid increasing US trade tariffs imposed on India, a Sri Lankan MP stood firm in support of New Delhi. In the parliament, he said, “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.”
US President Donald Trump’s recent 50% tariff on Indian goods has had the country’s leaders responding in the strongest voice; joining in is Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva. The politician spoke at the Lankan Parliament, where he came out in support of India. He highlighted an episode from the recent past where New Delhi lent a helping hand to the island nation when it was gripped by an economic crisis, the worst of its kind, it experienced, and is slowly crawling out of the situation. The MP said, “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. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings. We witnessed you laughing. Don’t laugh. India expected the tariffs to come down to 15%, and so did we.”
Posting his video from the debate, he wrote on X, “Called out the government in Sri Lankan Parliament for mocking India’s bold stand against Trump’s trade tariffs. India, our true ally, stood by us in our toughest times. We should honour their fight, not laugh. India’s courage inspires Asia!”
US tariff imposed on India:
On August 6, Trump imposed an additional tariff of 25% on India. This came after citing concerns over New Delhi's oil trading with Moscow. A total of 50% tariff will be levied on Indian goods being exported to America; the additional 25% will be applied on August 27.
India's response:
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India.”
Further mentioning, "It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the statement said, reiterating its stance on several other countries, including the US and European Union, importing Russian oil. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests."
