Trump's 50 per cent tariff is economic blackmail: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said US President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is "economic blackmail" to bully India into an unfair trade deal.
Soon after Trump announced a penalty of another 25 per cent on India for buying Russian oil, the former Congress president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not let Indian interests be overridden.
"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," Gandhi said in a post on X.
Trump on Wednesday slapped an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods coming from India as penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil, a move that is likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather exports hard.
Trump signed an executive order - Addressing Threats to the US by the Government of the Russian Federation - imposing the additional tariff over an above the 25 per cent levy which comes into effect from August 7.
After this order, the total tariff on Indian goods, barring a small exemption list, will be 50 per cent.
Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail - an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2025
PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people.
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Gujarat voted for development & good governance, says Pradhan as BJP sweeps local body polls
New Delhi (PTI): Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said the people of Gujarat have reaffirmed their faith in the politics of development, stability and good governance as the BJP swept the local body elections by winning all 15 municipal corporations and 33 out of 34 district panchayats in the state.
Thanking the voters, Pradhan said the result is a testament to the people's unwavering trust in the BJP, the relentless hard work of the party workers and the strength of the organisation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
“The people of Gujarat have once again made it clear that their trust remains firmly aligned with the politics of development, stability and good governance. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Gujarat for the support received by the BJP in the local body elections,” Pradhan posted on X.
“Under the guidance of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, this result is a remarkable testament to the people's unwavering trust, the relentless hard work of the Gujarat BJP workers, and the strength of the organisation,” he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Gujarat for what he termed a "sweeping mandate" in the local body polls, saying the bond between the state and the BJP has grown even stronger.
Modi said people have voted for the politics of good governance, and assured that the party would work harder to take Gujarat to new heights of progress.
Though final results for 250 taluka panchayats and 84 municipalities were awaited, data from the State Election Commission (SEC) showed that the ruling BJP won most of these local bodies while some were bagged by the Congress, AAP and Independents.
Polling was held on Sunday for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats.
The BJP emerged a clear winner in the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Rajkot, besides the newly created municipal corporations of Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
