Congress Slams PM Modi’s ‘Huglomacy’, Calls For Foreign Policy Reset After Trump’s Tariff

PM Modi with US President Donald Trump. (Photo: ANI)

Congress on Wednesday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports over continued oil trade with Russia, saying that India's foreign policy and administration needs a comprehensive reset. 

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, recalled India's firm stand against US pressure in the 1970s under Indira Gandhi and urged the current government to draw inspiration from her instead of defaming her.

"President Trump, while still claiming to be a friend of Mr Modi, has hit India hard and unjustly. While his tariff and penalty actions are simply unacceptable, the fact remains that they also reflect the abysmal failure of Mr Modi's personalised and headline-grabbing style of huglomacy. India has stood up to the bullying of the US in the 1970s, especially under the Prime Ministership of Smt Indira Gandhi. Instead of defaming, distorting, and denigrating her, Mr Modi should shed his ego--if indeed that were possible--and take inspiration from the manner in which she stood up to the USA. India's foreign policy and administration needs a comprehensive reset," Ramesh said.

Rahul Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Modi over the US's additional tariff on India, saying that the Prime Minister must not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people.

"Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail - an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal. PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X. 

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the additional 25 per cent tariff, saying that the increased tariffs would make Indian goods unaffordable for many people in America.

"I don't think that's particularly good news for us and that takes our total tariffs to 50 per cent then that's going to make our goods unaffordable to a lot of people in America and in particularly when you're looking at these percentages you have to compare them with the tariffs being levied on some of our competitors," ANI quoted Tharoor as saying. 

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent duty on Indian imports, citing New Delhi's continued oil trade with Russia. The move takes the total duty on Indian goods to 50 per cent.