Looks like we lost India, Russia to 'darkest' China: US President Trump
Washington (PTI): It looks like the US has lost India and Russia to "darkest" China, President Donald Trump said on Friday in his latest remarks as ties between New Delhi and Washington continue to reel under possibly the worst phase in over two decades.
Trump's latest post on social media came days after the bonhomie among Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin drew global attention.
"Looks like we have lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" the US president said on Truth Social.
The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil. The additional tariff has already come into effect from August 27.
India described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and even wondered why it has been singled out for the punitive action.
Surprisingly, the US has not imposed any punitive measures on China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.
In the last few days, several Trump administration officials, including White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, have used offensive language to target India.
India's big oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a "massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin", Navarro said last week.
Though the focus of the SCO summit on Monday was to ensure deeper security and economic complementarities among its member nations, what drew larger attention was the public display of bonhomie among Modi, Putin and Xi, signalling a broader convergence among the leading three powers.
A video of Modi and Putin holding hands and walking towards Xi, and then all three forming a close circle as good friends went viral on social media.
In his address at the summit, Xi elaborated on his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritises the Global South.
As China hosted several world leaders at the Victory Day parade in Beijing on Wednesday, Trump accused the Chinese president of conspiring against the US along with Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
"May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America."
Over the last few days, India-US ties have witnessed a major downturn after over two decades of close cooperation. The tension began after the collapse of the negotiations for a trade deal, as well as Trump's repeated claims that he resolved the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May.
India has been maintaining that it ended following direct talks between the two sides.
Over the last few months, India and the US held several rounds of negotiations for a bilateral trade deal, but it could not be sealed in view of sharp divergences in certain critical areas, including agriculture and dairy.
The bilateral trade between India and the US was around USD 130 billion last year and there was a projection of upward mobility in the volume.
The US has also been targeting India for its energy ties with Russia.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Consequently, from a mere 1.7 per cent share in total oil imports in 2019-20, Russia's share increased to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, and it is now the biggest oil supplier to India.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
