New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) As the US formally notified the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products, effective from August 27, senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the PM Modi government, calling for retaliatory tariffs of 300 to 400 per cent on American goods.

The US move comes amid strained bilateral ties following the breakdown of trade negotiations and Washington’s discomfort over India’s continued oil imports from Russia amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Dikshit questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, despite his previously touted close ties with US President Donald Trump.

Speaking to IANS, Sandeep Dikshit said: “It was widely believed that PM Modi and Donald Trump shared a strong friendship. It was even said that Trump relied on Modi for various matters. But now Trump is back, announcing hefty tariffs and claiming credit for ceasefire efforts, yet PM Modi doesn’t even mention his name. What happened to all the narratives the BJP used to spread?

“Why don’t we impose 300 per cent tariffs on US goods? Why buy anything from the US? Haven’t we become Atmanirbhar Bharat in the past 10 years? What happened to schemes like Skill India and Make in India? If we are truly self-reliant, then let’s show it. We should also impose at least 200 per cent tariffs. I don’t understand why we appear weak before the US.”

Dikshit also criticised the BJP’s approach towards domestic corruption cases, particularly commenting on the Enforcement Directorate’s recent raids at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. The searches were conducted in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to irregularities in the construction of hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The biggest mistake of Bharadwaj might have happened 23 years ago. People didn’t benefit from those hospitals during Covid-19, and the construction costs were highly inflated—there is clearly corruption. This falls under the Prevention of Corruption Act and should be handled by the CBI,” he told IANS.

While praising the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dikshit accused the ED of working like an arm of the ruling party.

“The ED is no longer functioning as an independent agency. It’s working as an agent of the BJP and its allies,” he said.

He further reacted to BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over fielding former Supreme Court judge, Justice B Sudershan Reddy (retd) as the opposition INDIA bloc candidate for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election on September 9. Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the former Law Minister Prasad referred to the Manmohan Singh government’s stand on Maoism in the Salwa Judum case in 2011.

“It’s all rubbish. Just yesterday, 40–50 judges condemned that rhetoric and called it dangerous. The BJP doesn’t understand anything; they just say whatever they want without thinking,” he added.

He also took a dig at PM Modi’s recent appeal urging citizens to buy Made-in-India products during the upcoming festive season.

“It’s nonsense. Does the US make its money from consumer items? We were talking about buying aeroplanes and defence equipment. If you really want to hurt the US economically, stop buying from their big industries – aircraft, weapons, tech. Banning small consumer items does nothing. Look at China—they banned TikTok, and now China is even more dominant. These moves are just distractions,” Dikshit asserted.

–IANS

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