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Nitin Gadkari's 'dadagiri' jibe amid tariff tensions with US
Nitin Gadkari said that India will not need to go to anyone if its exports and economy increase.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that countries indulging in “dadagiri” (bullying) in today's world are able to do so because they are economically strong and have technology, reported PTI.
Gadkari made the remarks while delivering a lecture at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) in Nagpur on Saturday during which he stressed the need to increase India's exports and reduce imports.
"If the rate of our exports and economy increase, 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 welfare of the world is most important," he said, according to PTI.
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"We are facing various problems globally, and the solution to all these problems are science and technology, that is knowledge, which is a power," he added.
Gadkari underlined that increasing exports and decreasing imports is necessary if India wants to become a ‘vishwaguru’.
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The BJP leader's remarks come amid tensions between India and the United States over the trade tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.
Trump last week had announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on US imports from India -- raising the overall duty to 50 per cent -- as a penalty for the country's continued imports of Russian oil.
Trump has railed against India and Russia over the past few days for the trade and energy relations between the two countries and pressured New Delhi to cut its Russian oil purchases.
India has defended its energy purchases from Russia and criticised the US and the European Union for singling out New Delhi at a time when other countries buying Russian energy haven’t faced penalties from the Trump administration.
India also flagged that the United States continues to import uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilisers, as well as chemicals, from Russia.
