Lalit Shastri

“India doesn’t need foreign approval. It needs domestic resolve.”

As India pushes back against the US President Donald Trump’s punitive 25% tariff regime, the Congress party—true to its track record of political opportunism—is again choosing to weaponize dissent rather than support national interest.

As India stands firm against U.S. tariffs, Congress plays politics—siding with agitation over action and sabotage over sovereignty.

While the Modi government moves with strategic clarity, Congress leaders like P. Chidambaram and Rahul Gandhi are doing what they do best: appease foreign powers in rhetoric while inflaming tensions at home.

Chidambaram’s ‘Diplomacy’: A Mask for Defeatism

“Don’t be defiant,” says Chidambaram. What he means is: don’t stand tall.”

In a recent statement, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram warned against India taking a “defiant” stand against the United States. His suggestion? Be cautious, calibrated, and cooperative. But let’s decode that. Chidambaram’s version of diplomacy is indistinguishable from submission.

This is the same man who presided over an era of docility—when India’s foreign policy sought validation more than parity. Now, confronted with a confident government that asserts national interest on the global stage, Chidambaram seems visibly rattled.

He fears India’s growing autonomy in global negotiations. His prescriptions don’t aim to empower India—they aim to restrain it.

Rahul Gandhi and the Politics of Provocation

“When India seeks market reform, the Congress seeks street protest.”

While Chidambaram couches surrender in diplomatic language, Rahul Gandhi operates from the ground level of chaos. As the Modi government introduced long-overdue farm laws meant to liberalize and empower the agrarian sector, it was the Congress—under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership—that ignited and sustained farmer unrest.

The very reforms that would have cushioned Indian farmers from global shocks like these tariffs were vehemently opposed. Why? Because real progress would have left Congress without a grievance to exploit.

They weren’t protecting farmers. They were protecting their political playbook.

From Global Trade to Domestic Agitation: Congress’s Dual Game

Congress is playing a two-faced game:

Internationally, it calls for restraint and rejects strength.

Domestically, it foments unrest and rejects reform.

Their logic is stunningly cynical: weaken India’s external stance by questioning the government’s assertiveness, and destabilize its internal agenda by provoking protests. This isn’t constructive opposition—it’s calibrated sabotage.

Modi Government’s Response: Sovereign, Strategic, Firm

“India under Modi doesn’t bluff, and it doesn’t bend.”

In stark contrast, the Indian government’s response to the U.S. tariffs has been mature, measured, and firm. It hasn’t resorted to jingoism. It has engaged through backchannels, coordinated with global allies, and prioritized national interest—without sacrificing sovereignty.

This is the posture of a self-respecting nation, not a subservient state. And that’s what makes the Congress uncomfortable: a New India that doesn’t need their outdated scripts.

Time to Expose the Bluff

The Congress party is not confused—it is complicit. Complicit in creating confusion, fomenting division, and undermining India’s sovereign interests for narrow political gains.

Chidambaram’s defeatism, Rahul Gandhi’s rabble-rousing, and the Congress’s betrayal of both farmers and foreign policy deserve to be called out.

India must reject not just foreign bullying—but domestic backstabbing.