🚨 “Why Should We Stop at 17%?” – Shashi Tharoor Demands India Hit Back With 50% Tariffs on U.S. Goods After Trump’s Move

In a fiery response to the U.S. government’s decision to slap an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called for India to return the favour — and then some. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (August 7, 2025), Tharoor suggested that India should raise tariffs on American goods to 50%, matching the hike imposed by the U.S.

“We have a $90 billion trade relationship with the U.S. If everything suddenly becomes 50% more expensive, American buyers will ask themselves why they should purchase Indian goods,” Tharoor said. “If they’re doing this, we should absolutely respond with a 50% tariff on American exports.”

“We Shouldn’t Be Intimidated”

Tharoor didn’t hold back in criticizing the U.S. action and questioned why India continues to maintain an average tariff of just 17% on American products.

“Why stop at 17%?” he asked. “We must send a message — no country should think it can intimidate us. If the U.S. doesn’t respect its relationship with India, why should we value ours with them?”

Tharoor’s comments come just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order imposing the additional 25% tariff. The White House justified the move on grounds of national security and foreign policy, claiming India’s increasing imports of Russian oil — even indirectly — pose an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States.

India Calls U.S. Tariffs “Unfair and Unjustified”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly condemned the new tariffs, calling the move “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” The ministry said that New Delhi would take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

In a related development, a senior U.S. administration official told ANI that there is “no comparison” between the scale of India’s imports of Russian oil and the “modest” imports of Russian goods by the United States.

“The U.S. imports of Russian goods are less than 1% of the value of Indian imports. The numbers don’t even come close,” the official said.

What Happens Next?

With tensions escalating and rhetoric heating up, the coming days could see a shift in one of the world’s largest trade relationships. Whether India will follow Tharoor’s advice and raise tariffs to 50% remains to be seen — but one thing’s clear: this trade war is just getting started.