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‘MAHA headache for India’: What Congress said as Trump's 50% tariffs took effect
Donald Trump's additional tariffs of 25 per cent over Russian oil purchase took effect from Wednesday, adding to the already existing 25 per cent duties.
As the Donald Trump tariffs on India officially doubled to 50 per cent from Wednesday, Congress called the levies a “MAHA headache”, saying that it will undoubtedly hit country's labour-intensive exports to the US -- especially textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, marine products, and engineering.
Donald Trump's additional tariffs of 25 per cent over Russian oil purchase took effect from Wednesday, adding to the already existing 25 per cent duties on Indian imports going to the US.
Taking a swipe at the central government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed the tariffs a result of its "superficial" foreign policy that would result in "huge job losses".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his supposedly winning formula of “MAGA MIGA=MEGA” earlier this year but this “Modi-made MEGA” has now become a “MAHA headache” for India.
Ramesh suggested that Trump tariffs and US commerce secretary's recent remarks on the H1B visa programme are part of a “MAHA headache for India”.
"Trump double tariff" has come into effect, which will undoubtedly hit India's labour-intensive exports to the US -- especially textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, marine products, and engineering," Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
"Over the last twenty four hours, the US commerce secretary has also spoken out against the H1B visa system of which the biggest beneficiaries have been Indian IT professionals," Ramesh added.
"This has been one of the key demands of the MAGA base of President (Donald) Trump, the same MAGA which Prime Minister Modi in February this year used in his supposedly winning formula MAGA MIGA= MEGA. This Modi-made MEGA has now become a MAHA headache for India," the Congress leader said.
During his Washington visit in February this year, PM Modi coined a new term -- 'Make India Great Again' (MIGA) -- inspired by President Donald Trump's motto 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA), and said the two visions together form the "MEGA partnership for prosperity" and give a new scale to bilateral partnership.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X reminded the prime minister that he had is “ready to pay any 'personal price' to protect” the farmers.
"Narendra Modi ji, your dear friend 'Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar' has imposed 50 per cent Tariffs on India starting today. We will lose an estimated ₹2.17 lakh crore as the first jolt to this Tariff, across 10 sectors alone," Kharge said in a post on X.
Noting that "our farmers, especially cotton farmers, have been badly hit", Kharge said, "You had said you are ready to pay any 'personal price' to protect them, but you have done absolutely nothing to soften the blow and protect their livelihoods."
He said the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) suggests that almost 1 per cent of India's GDP could be impacted, and that China would benefit from it.
India has refused to bow down to US pressure. PM Modi, speaking at an event in Delhi on August 7, made a strong statement saying India would never compromise on the interests of its farmers.
Later, in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi reiterated the above, declaring that his government would “stand like a wall” to protect the interests of farmers.
