Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of farmers, small entrepreneurs, and animal keepers as India faces mounting trade pressure from the United States.
Speaking at a public event in Ahmedabad, Modi declared, "My government will never let any harm come to the small entrepreneurs, farmers, and animal keepers. No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand."
The assurance comes as Washington escalates trade tensions by doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50%. The move includes an additional 25% levy tied to India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude oil. According to White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro, the new tariffs will take effect on August 27 without extension.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, addressing concerns over the stalled India-US trade deal last week, underscored that protecting India’s agricultural and small-scale sectors remains a non-negotiable priority. "The negotiations are still going on and the bottom line is we have some red lines. The red lines are primarily the interest of our farmers and to some extent small producers," he said.
Jaishankar also pushed back against US accusations that India is “profiteering” by refining Russian crude and selling petroleum products to Europe at higher margins. "It's funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business. That's really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don't buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys. So you don't like it, don't buy it," he remarked.