Forced hugs, Donald Trump praise haven’t helped: Congress attacks govt

The Congress on Monday sharpened its attack on the government, mocking what it described as years of carefully choreographed bonhomie with US President Donald Trump after his latest warning that Washington could raise tariffs on India “very quickly”.

Reacting to Trump’s remarks on India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, the Opposition said the spectacle of “Namaste Trump” and “Howdy Modi” events, the much-publicised embraces, and effusive social media praise for the American leader had yielded little diplomatic dividend.

Taking to X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister’s “good friend in the White House” was once again blowing hot and cold. Trump, he noted, had renewed threats of higher tariffs on Indian imports if New Delhi did not curb its oil trade with Moscow. “All those grand events, all those (forced) hugs, and all those glowing posts hailing the US president have done very little good,” Ramesh wrote.

Trump’s comments came aboard Air Force One, where he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew he was unhappy with India’s purchases of Russian oil and had sought to “make me happy”. Stressing Washington’s leverage, Trump warned that the US could raise tariffs on India swiftly, adding that such a move would be “very bad” for New Delhi.

US senator Lindsey Graham, who was travelling with Trump, underscored the pressure campaign, saying tariffs imposed by the former president were already the main reason India was buying less Russian oil. Graham also spoke of proposed legislation that would slap steep levies on countries continuing to import Russian crude, arguing that squeezing President Vladimir Putin’s customers was key to ending the Ukraine war.

Together, the remarks handed the Congress fresh ammunition, allowing it to argue that optics and personal chemistry had failed to shield India from hard-nosed economic coercion — and that the cost of this diplomacy was now being felt in blunt threats from Washington.

With PTI inputs