Rajnath Singh explains why India didn't respond to Trump's tariffs immediately, says 'we didn't react...'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has responded to the recent imposition of a 50% tariff by the United States on Indian goods. While interacting with the Indian community in Morocco, Singh stated, "We didn't react, those who are broad-minded and big-hearted do not react to anything immediately." His comment comes after the US announced the sharp tariff increase, which also includes a 25% additional duty on India's purchase of Russian crude oil. Relations between Washington and New Delhi have been strained since the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods. 

Rajnath Singh to inaugurate India’s first defense manufacturing facility 

Singh’s trip to Morocco also included the inauguration of Tata Advanced Systems' new manufacturing facility for the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8x8 at Berrechid. This marks the first-ever Indian defense manufacturing plant in Africa. Singh described the facility as a “significant milestone” in India's expanding defense sector.

Rajnath Singh speaks on Operation Sindoor 

Further addressing concerns related to national security, Singh took a strong stance on Operation Sindoor, the surgical strikes India conducted against terrorist camps. He defended India’s military operations, stating that while the terrorists in Pahalgam asked their victims about their religion, India’s approach was different. “Humne kisi ka dharm dekh kar nahi, unka karm dekh kar maara hai (We didn’t kill anyone for their religion, we killed them for their deeds),” Singh said.

“We didn't target any civilian or military establishment. Only India can have this character,” he added. 

‘PoK will soon be part of India’ 

The Defence Minister also took the opportunity to address the issue of Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK), stating that it would eventually become a part of India. “The people of PoK have also started demanding it,” Singh said, echoing India's long-standing stance on the region. Reflecting on his address to the Indian Army in Kashmir five years ago, he recalled stating, “We will not need to attack and capture PoK, it is anyway ours; PoK itself will say, 'Main bhi Bharat Hoon' (I am also India). That day will come.”