India is the 'Maharaja of Tariffs', says Trump aide amid escalating US-India trade tensions

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has criticised India's trade practices, calling the country the “maharaja of tariffs” while defending the US administration’s decision to impose steep import duties on Indian goods.

India has responded strongly to the US tariff move, calling the measures “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, on Thursday said that India will not compromise on interests of its dairy and farm sector.

The additional 25% import duty announced by the US, effective August 27, takes the total tariff on Indian goods entering American markets to 50%.


“You start with the fact that India is the maharaja of tariffs. It’s the highest tariffs in the world, charging on American products, and it’s got high non-tariff barriers, so we can’t get our products in. So we send a lot of dollars overseas to India to buy their products in an unfair trade environment,” Navarro said.

Also Read: PM Modi says ready to pay 'heavy price' for farmers' welfare as US trade war continues

He linked these trade imbalances to geopolitical concerns, stating that the money spent on Indian imports is used by New Delhi to purchase Russian oil, which in turn funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“India then uses American dollars to buy Russian oil. Russia then uses those American dollars that come from India to finance its armaments to kill Ukrainians. And then American taxpayers are then called upon to pay for the weapons that have to defend Ukraine against Russian armaments paid for by American dollars that came from India,” Navarro said.

Navarro further emphasised that the rationale for these tariffs differs from the US policy toward China, where similar duties are in place.

“Let’s talk first about the India tariffs, which went up to 50 per cent today. It’s important to understand that the rationale for the Indian tariffs are very different from the reciprocal tariffs. This was a pure national security issue associated with India’s abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil,” he said.

Also Read: Reciprocal tariffs begin at midnight, billions of dollars will flow into USA: Trump

Navarro noted that while the US already imposes tariffs exceeding 50% on Chinese goods, it is careful not to harm its own economic interests in the process.

“As the boss says, let’s see what happens. Keep in mind that we have over 50 per cent tariffs on China already. We have over 50 per cent tariffs on China, so we don’t want to get to a point where we actually hurt ourselves. And I think I’ve given a really good answer to that,” he added.

He also said President Donald Trump views economic decisions as integral to national security. “That’s got to stop. That math doesn’t work. The president understands the connection between economic security and national security. So that was the bottom line there.”