The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a jibe at Congress, highlighting the difference between the remarks made by senior party leaders Shashi Tharoor and Rahul Gandhi after Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Indian products. In a post on X, BJP’s Annamalai said while one spoke for India’s interests, “another spoke to please his offshore masters”.
“I came across remarks by two Congress leaders on the same topic today. One spoke for India’s Interest, and the other spoke in a tone that would please his offshore masters. When the world acknowledges India as the only bright spot on an otherwise dark horizon, here is the leader of the opposition who feels otherwise,” Annamalai said.
He said, “LoP Thiru Rahul Gandhi continues to wear ignorance like a badge of honour. He is blind to India’s rise, yet ever eager to echo foreign voices that undermine it.”
Amit Malviya also slammed Rahul Gandhi for his remarks and said, “Rahul Gandhi has hit a new low by echoing “dead economy” jibe — a shameful insult to the aspirations, achievements, and well-being of the Indian people. But let’s be honest — the only thing truly “dead” here is Rahul Gandhi’s own political credibility and legacy.”
What Rahul Gandhi said
After the US imposed 25 per cent tariff and Donald Trump took a “dead economy” jibe at India for its business ties with Russia, Rahul Gandhi said everyone knows “Indian economy is dead economy”.
He said, “On the US President Trump’s dead economy remark, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “Yes, he is right, Everybody knows this except the Prime Minsiter and the Finance Minsiter. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact… The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. BJP has finished the economy to help Adani.”
What Shashi Tharoor said
When Shashi Tharoor was asked about trade negotiations between the US and India, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said if America is unreasonable, “we have to move elsewhere.”
“It is a challenging negotiation. We are negotiating with many countries. The US is not the only negotiation. We have ongoing negotiations with the EU, we already concluded a deal with the UK, and we are talking with other countries also. If we can’t compete in America, we may have to diversify our markets outside of America. We are not out of options. If America is completely unreasonable with its demands, we have to move elsewhere. That is the strength of India; we are not a totally export-dependent economy like China. We have a good and strong domestic market. We must give strong support to our negotiators to find the best deal possible. If a good deal is not possible, we may have to walk away.”