NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday issued a strong statement in support of small entrepreneurs and farmers, just two days before US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on India comes into effect.”Today in the world, everyone is busy doing politics based on economic interests. From this land of Ahmedabad, I will tell my small entrepreneurs, my small shopkeeper brothers and sisters, my farmer brothers and sisters, my animal husbandry brothers and sisters and I am saying this on the land of Gandhi … be it the small entrepreneurs, farmers, or animal keepers of my country, for everyone, I promise you again and again, your interests are paramount for Modi,” he said while addressing a rally in Ahmedabad.”My government will never let any harm come to the small entrepreneurs, farmers, and animal keepers. No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand. Today, the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is getting a lot of energy from Gujarat and behind this are two decades of hard work,” PM Modi said. The strong-worded remark comes just days before Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods comes into effect from August 27. Since Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including an extra 25 per cent, penalty for India’s discounted Russian crude purchases – ties between New Delhi and Washington have soured.The US accuses India of indirectly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine through these oil imports, a claim New Delhi has flatly dismissed. India began buying Russian crude at cheaper rates after Western nations sanctioned Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.Foreign minister S Jaishankar, speaking in Delhi on Saturday, mocked Washington’s stance.”It’s ironic for a pro-business American administration to accuse others of doing business,” he quipped, when asked about the US criticism.Taking a sharper swipe, he added: “If you don’t like Indian oil or refined products, don’t buy them. Nobody is forcing you. But Europe buys, America buys. So if you have a problem, just stop buying.”
