Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah called US President Trump's 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods "economic blackmail" and blamed PM Modi for prioritising PR over real diplomacy. Backing Rahul Gandhi's stance, he said India’s sovereignty is under attack due to poor strategic handling of international relations.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Image/File Pic
After the US President slammed a 50 per cent tariff on India, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday claimed that "US President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is clearly economic blackmail," as per news agency PTI. While blaming the increased tariffs on India, the Karnataka CM focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on "headline management" rather than prioritising real diplomacy and national interest.
Targeting the Centre, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah also alleged that "the Modi government had repeatedly ignored 'prescient warnings' by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi" and called on the Prime Minister to "grow up and act in India's interest," as cited by news agency PTI.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday described Trump's move as an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha also criticised "the additional 25 per cent penalty announced for India's purchase of Russian oil", saying Modi "must not allow Indian interests to be overridden", as per PTI.
Backing Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Siddaramaiah on the social media platform ‘X’ wrote, "I fully agree with @RahulGandhi. Be it GST, demonetisation, Chinese aggression, the Modani nexus, COVID failures, farm laws, Rafale, PM CARES, or electoral bonds, Rahul Gandhi called them out early. The BJP mocked him, but he was proven right again and again."
The Chief Minister further added that "His warning on Trump's 50 per cent tariff is no different. It is economic blackmail, the result of PM @narendramodi prioritising headline management over real diplomacy and national interest."
I fully agree with Shri @RahulGandhi.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 7, 2025
Be it GST, demonetisation, Chinese aggression, the Modani nexus, or COVID failures, farm laws, Rafale, PM CARES, and electoral bonds — Shri Rahul Gandhi called them out early. The BJP mocked him. But he was proven right, again and again.… https://t.co/YoqJCBKY0U
Siddaramaiah claimed that since 2019, Modi had gone out of his way to please Trump, from raising the slogan "Abki Baar Trump Sarkar" (This time, a Trump government) at the "Howdy Modi" event to hosting the "Namaste Trump" rally despite a looming Covid threat and coining the phrase "Make India Great Again (MIGA) + Make America Great Again (MAGA) equals MEGA," as cited by news agency PTI.
The Chief Minister also said that PM Modi's outreach to Elon Musk, despite Musk's proximity to Trump, is another factor that disrupted India's ties with the United States of America.
He asserted, "But Trump wasn't impressed. He saw it not as diplomacy but surrender," as cited by news agency PTI.
The Karnataka CM said that "he (Trump) did exactly what a true friend wouldn't: claimed 33 times that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan, hosted Pakistan's Army Chief—the man whose hate speeches led to the Pahalgam terror attack—and backed Israel's brutal assault on Gaza." PM Modi remained silent through it all to stay in Washington's good books. No protest. No pushback. No dignity," as per PTI.
Siddaramaiah went on to say that "Trump has now imposed unfair tariffs on India and is attempting to coerce the country into cutting ties with Russia," calling it a "direct attack on our sovereignty". The Chief Minister also invoked the stance of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the 1970s.
Claiming that, "Instead of attacking her legacy, PM Modi should learn from it. India must uphold its strategic autonomy with dignity, not surrender it for photo ops," the Chief Minister concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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