PM Modi can't stand up to Trump despite tariff threat due to Adani: Rahul

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stand up to US President Donald Trump's tariff threat because of the ongoing investigation against Gautam Adani in the US

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he cannot stand up to US President Donald Trump despite repeated threats because of the ongoing investigation into billionaire Gautam Adani.

 

In a post on X, Gandhi said, “India, please understand: The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing US investigation into Adani. One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA, and Russian oil deals. Modi’s hands are tied.”

 

Ties between India and the US have been strained since Trump announced a new tariff rate of 25 per cent on Indian goods. The US president also threatened to levy an additional penalty on India for importing Russian oil.

 

 

On April 2, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on more than 100 countries and levied a 26 per cent “discounted tariff” on India. A week later, he paused the tariffs for 90 days, allowing these countries to secure a deal with the US. During the tariff pause period, officials from India and the US engaged in negotiations, with several members of the Trump administration expressing hope for an India-US tariff deal. However, after the deadline ended, Trump reduced the tariff by only a percentage point.

 

On Tuesday, Trump also threatened to raise tariffs on India “very substantially” in the next 24 hours. Calling India not a good trading partner, in an interview with CNBC, he added that the "sticking point" between India and the US is that the tariffs are too high. 

On Monday, India issued a statement responding to Trump’s remarks on India buying Russian oil. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) defended its purchase of oil imports from Russia, reminding Washington that when New Delhi first started buying Russian oil at the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the former encouraged the move. 

The statement also added that India is driven by its national necessity and is far smaller in scale compared to the West’s energy purchases. 

India also pointed out the double standards on the US’ part for targeting it on the issue and said both the US and the EU are continuing their trade relations with Russia.

 

Gautam Adani US indictment 

In November 2024, billionaire Gautam Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, were accused by the US Department of Justice of paying $265 million in bribes to Indian officials to obtain contracts for the supply of solar electricity. The said contracts would have given $2 billion profit over 20 years. The Adani Group denied these allegations and called them "baseless".

 

In November 2024, Gautam Adani was accused by the US Department of Justice, along with seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, of paying $265 million in bribes to Indian officials to obtain contracts for the supply of solar electricity