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Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on India and an additional unspecified penalty over the sale and purchase of Russian oil.
Without naming the US, the Prime Minister pointed towards the politics driven by economic self-interest in the world
(Photo: YouTube/NarendraModi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday gave a subtle message to US President Donald Trump as both countries negotiate a trade deal, saying his government will not allow any harm to come to small entrepreneurs, farmers, and cattle rearers.
He affirmed that, irrespective of incoming “pressure”, India will bear it and keep increasing its strength.
Without naming the US that has imposed 50% tariffs on India, the Prime Minister pointed towards the politics driven by economic self-interest in the world.
“All of you are witnessing the kind of politics driven by economic self-interest that is happening in the world today. From this land of Ahmedabad, I would like to say to my small entrepreneurs, to the shopkeepers, to the farmers and cattle rearers. For Modi, your interest is paramount. My government will not allow any harm to come to small entrepreneurs, to farmers, or to cattle rearers. No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand,” PM Modi said.
#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Today in the world, everyone is busy doing politics based on economic interests. From this land of Ahmedabad, I will tell my small entrepreneurs, my small shopkeeper brothers and sisters, my farmer brothers and… pic.twitter.com/aYGcdyiEPs— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2025
Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on India and an additional unspecified penalty on the sale and purchase of Russian oil. India has dubbed Trump’s tariffs announcement as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
In another event on August 7, the Prime Minister said he is ready to pay “a heavy price”, underscoring that India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers.
“For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know personally, I will have to pay a heavy price for it, but I am ready for it. Today, India is ready for the country’s farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers,” he had said.
India Calls Out West’s Double Standards On Russia
While the US continues to criticise India over its Russia ties, two top Indian officials– National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar– have recently visited Moscow to boost the bilateral relationship. PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have held two telephonic conversations in a month.
During a press briefing in Moscow, Jaishankar had said the US asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilise the world energy market. He also highlighted that the European Union is the biggest purchaser of Russian LNG. “We are not the country that has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries to the South. We are a country where the Americans have said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy market, including buying oil from Russia. Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and that amount has increased,” he had said.
Jaishankar also informed that negotiations are still going on between Washington and New Delhi. “Negotiations (India-US trade negotiations) are still going on. But the bottom line is we have some red lines. Negotiations are still going on in the sense that nobody said the negotiations are off. People do talk to each other. It’s not like there’s a ‘kutti’ there… Where we are concerned, the red lines are primarily the interests of our farmers and, to some extent, of our small producers,” he said at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025.
#WATCH | Delhi: At The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “Negotiations (India-US trade negotiations) are still going on. But the bottom line is we have some red lines. Negotiations are still going on in the sense that nobody said the negotiations… pic.twitter.com/deCHoeDSrx— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2025
Commenting on Trump’s policies, Jaishankar recently said, “We’ve not had a US President who’s conducted foreign policy as publicly as the current one. That itself is a departure that’s not limited to India… President Trump’s way of dealing with the world, even dealing with his own country, is a very major departure from the traditional orthodox manner of doing so.”
(with inputs from agencies)
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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