 "135,000 jobs lost in Surat due to Trump's trade tariffs: Shashi Tharoor")
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday slammed the United States (US) President Donald Trump, calling him a "mercurial" and "unusual" leader whose polices have led to people losing jobs in India.
Speaking at an event by India's real estate industry body Credai in Singapore, Tharoor said, "Trump is a very mercurial individual, and the American system gives the President an amazing amount of leeway. Even though there have been 44 or 45 presidents before him, no one has ever seen this kind of behaviour coming down from the White House".
"I mean, have you ever heard any world leader openly saying that he deserves a Nobel Peace prize. It never happened before. Have you heard of any world leader saying things like, oh, all the countries in the world want to come and kiss my ass'," Tharoor said.
He further added that Trump’s trade policies have already led to around 135,000 layoffs in Surat’s gems and jewellery sector, with potential job losses looming in seafood and manufacturing. "I don't want anyone to have any illusions that we can just wash it up," he said.
The Trump administration has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for importing Russian oil.
Since the jewellery and seafood industries rely heavily on exports to the US, the Centre has urged them to explore alternative markets following the tariff hike.
Oil penalty bizarre & unsustainable
Tharoor also criticised the 25 per cent duty on Indian imports of Russian oil, calling it unfair as China buys far more oil and gas from Russia than India. He added that the US should adopt a uniform policy for all countries purchasing Russian oil.
"This entire sanction policy seems to be completely bizarre and unsustainable. But, anyway, until that sanction is removed, however successfully we negotiate a basic trade deal, we still have an enormous problem," he observed.
'We need some access to America': Tharoor
Further elaborating on the impact of US tariffs on Russia, Tharoor said India is finding it very difficult to get into the US market. "And I am pleased to say that we are actually negotiating, knowing very well that we need some access to America," he said, adding that there are possibilities of a reduction in the initial basic 25 per cent tariff imposed by the US if New Delhi and Washington strike a trade deal.
He added that while India is exploring other markets for its goods, it also needs to diversify its lines of political communication to other countries."We can't just afford to sit there and say we have no other option," he said.
India's relationship with Russia and China
On ties with China, Tharoor said India is demonstrating a serious intent to move away from confrontation.
"Even though we've had some very, very tough times in that relationship, I think we will find ourselves trying to open up very much more for China than we have done in the last 5-6 years," he said.
Speaking on Russia, Tharoor said the relationship has generally remained stable and could even grow “warmer” now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, where he met President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is also scheduled to visit India later this year.