Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday took a sharp swipe at US President Donald Trump over the steep tariff threats to India, saying that the US administration, which he referred to as the ‘Sabhata boss,’ does not welcome India’s rise as a global power.

"There are some people who are not happy with the speed at which India is developing. They are not liking it. 'Sabke boss toh hum hain', how is India growing at such a fast pace?," the Defence Minister said.

"And many are trying to ensure that products made in India, by Indian hands, become more expensive than those made in other countries, so that when prices rise, the world will stop buying them. This effort is underway. But India is advancing so rapidly that I say with full confidence: no power in the world can now stop India from becoming a major global power," the minister affirmed.

Trump recently imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, along with an additional 25 per cent penalty in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. The US President also threatened further tariff hikes, demanding that India halt its deals with Russia. He even dismissed India’s economy as “dead,” while his close aides accused New Delhi of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Rajnath Singh noted that defence exports have not been affected by the current situation and are continuously increasing. "As far as the defence sector is concerned, you will be happy to know that now we are exporting defence items worth more than 24 thousand crore. This is the strength of India, this is the new defence sector of the new India and the export is increasing continuously," he remarked.

India has strongly responded to the Trump administration’s tariff announcements, describing the US measures as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” and reaffirmed that it will “take all necessary actions” to protect its national interests.

Defending its energy ties with Russia, the government stated that crude oil imports are driven by market dynamics and aimed at ensuring the energy security of India’s 1.4 billion citizens. It also highlighted that several other countries engage in similar procurement to safeguard their national interests and expressed disappointment at being singled out on this issue.

"We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the government said earlier.

- Ends

Adblock test (Why?)