Responding to tariffs on India imposed by the United States, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Friday that India should also protect its interests.
“Whatever is happening is related. A country with which we had close ties with, and we were working as strategic partners. If that country has changed its behavior, India will have to think about many things … Perhaps in the coming two to three weeks, we can talk and find a way. India will also have to take care of its interests.”
Tharoor yesterday said that India should increase tariffs on American goods by 50 percent in response to an additional 25 percent duty on Indian exports. Tharoor questioned why India should stop at the current 17 percent tariff and emphasized that the country should not be afraid of such works. He also said that no country should be allowed to threaten India in this way.
Addressing reporters here, Tharoor said, “It will definitely have an impact because we have a trade of $ 90 billion with them, and if everything becomes 50 percent more expensive, the buyers will also think why they should buy Indian things? … If they do this, we should not even tariff 50 percent on American exports … It is not that any country can threaten …”.
Tharur said, “Our average tariffs on American goods are 17 percent. Why should we stop at 17 percent? We should increase it up to 50 percent … We need to ask them, do they not give importance to our relationship? If India does not matter to them, they also do not want any difference for us,” Tharoor said.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order, with 25 percent of an additional tariff on imports from India. Trump cited matters of national security and foreign policy concerns as well as other relevant trade laws, claiming that India’s imports, directly or indirectly, create “unusual and extraordinary threats” to the United States.
The United States move to impose additional tariffs on India on its oil imports from Russia, as “unfair, inappropriate and unfair,”, the Ministry of External Affairs (Mea) announced that New Delhi would take all the necessary work necessary to protect its national interests. (Ani)