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Amitabh Kant warns: Trump’s tariffs are a “wake-up call” India cannot afford to ignore
Former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the steep US tariffs on Indian exports should be a “wake-up call,” urging India to safeguard energy security and push bold reforms.
Kant has also urged the government to allocate at least Rs 20,000 crore to promote India in global markets through a new Incredible India campaign.
Amitabh Kant, the former chief executive of Niti Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa, said that Washington’s sweeping new tariffs on Indian exports have little to do with Russian oil and should instead serve as a “wake-up call” for policymakers in New Delhi.
“Trump’s tariffs must be a wake-up call for India,” Kant wrote in a post on X. “The irony is striking: the US is actively negotiating with Russia and China, the latter being the largest buyer of Russian oil, yet chooses to target India with tariffs instead. Let us be clear, this is not about Russian oil.”
The United States began imposing 50 percent duties on nearly all Indian exports on Monday morning, in what President Donald J. Trump characterized as “punishment” for India’s continued purchases of Russian crude.
Trump’s tariffs must be a wake-up call for India. The irony is striking: the U.S. is actively negotiating with Russia and China, the latter being the largest buyer of Russian oil, yet chooses to target India with tariffs instead. Let us be clear, this is not about Russian oil.…
— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) August 27, 2025
Kant argued that India must not bend to external pressure. “It is about India’s energy security and strategic autonomy, which we should never compromise. India has, on numerous occasions, refused to yield to global pressure. This moment should be no different,” he said.
He added that the disruption should spur deeper change at home. “Rather than intimidate us, these global headwinds must galvanise India into bold, once-in-a-generation reforms, while also diversifying our export markets to secure long-term growth and resilience,” he wrote.
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