Tareef karun kya uski, jisne tariff badhaya?

Once upon a trade deficit, instead of praising India as planned, Doland ended up taxing it. While some suspect it was for not being praised enough by India, a more engaging theory is doing the rounds of late. That it's a classic case of linguistic confusion meeting economic delusion, with a dash of churlishness thrown in.

Someone at White House with a Lonely Planet guidebook of India in his pocket, goes this theory, whispered 'India deserves tareef' to Doland's ear, and the Shahenshah of Amrikah had replied, 'You betcha, slap a tariff!' The rest, as they say, is heavy levy.

But tareef karun kya uski, jisne tariff badhaya? Mangoes? Tariffed. Steel? Tariffed. Spiritual serenity? Tariffed too probably, pending investigation by Homeland Security. It turns out in Mark Antony style, Doland has said, 'I've come to tariff Caesar, not to tareef him' - considering that he may have felt India fell short in praising him for conflicts he wanted to be seen stopping, for being the peacemaker that pacemakers usually are for men of his age. Indians, not shying away from showering tariffs are confused.


Rajnath Singh quite rightly may have got it right when he said on Sunday that some serious dollops of envy from people who think 'sabke boss toh hum hain' must have played their part in tareef turning into tariffs. Praise be upon him - Rajnathji, that is.