While the United States has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on India's exports citing the latter's purchase of Russian oil, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has once again fired a fresh salvo on it that might make President Donald Trump check the dictionary. Known for his eloquence and a vocabulary that often sends people reaching for the dictionary, Tharoor took to X and said India should be "recalcitrant" than to be "tractable, submissive or acquiescent to injustice".
"I hear some people are accusing India of being “recalcitrant“. I say, far better to be recalcitrant, than to be tractable, submissive or acquiescent to injustice," Tharoor wrote on X. His pointed choice of words once again blended politics with linguistic flair, delivering a message that was as assertive as it was articulate, a style that has become his signature over the years.
Tharoor on Trump's 'dead economy' remark
Earlier this month, Tharoor said US President Donald Trump's remark terming India a "dead economy" was meant to be an "insult" and must not be taken "literally". Tharoor said that when wars are being conducted with the active involvement of some of the biggest powers, and people who are supposed to be upholding world order are contributing to promoting disorder, India needs to be very clear about its national interests.
Cautioning against taking Trump literally
Tharoor said that it is a turbulent and unpredictable world, especially with Trump in the White House. "On Trump, let me say, you can't take him literally, but you do need to take him seriously. He is the President of the US, and the decisions he makes can affect policies, and policies can affect us. So take him seriously, but don't take him literally, not every word. When he says your economy is dead, it's like a schoolboy in the playground saying your mother is ugly. You are not supposed to take that seriously.
It is meant to be an insult, not meant to be taken literally," he added, as per PTI.
Trump's tariffs hit over 70 nations
It should be noted here that Trump has announced tariff rates for nearly 70 nations. The tariffs in the list ranged from 10 per cent to 50 per cent, with Japan being charged 15 per cent, Laos and Myanmar (40 per cent each), Brazil (50 per cent), Pakistan (19 per cent), Sri Lanka (20 per cent) and the United Kingdom (10 per cent). In addition to the 25 per cent tariff announced earlier, Trump imposed another 25 per cent levies on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties slapped on India to 50 per cent, among the highest imposed by the US on any country in the world.
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