Amidst the political storm ignited by Rahul Gandhi endorsing US President Donald Trump’s 'dead economy' remark about India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offers a measured response. While choosing not to comment on his party leader’s statements, Tharoor stresses the importance of sustaining India’s strategic and economic partnership with the US, a major export destination worth $90 billion. He urges support for Indian negotiators to secure a fair deal and urges the need to diversify export markets globally to mitigate any risks posed by US tariffs.
00:00Now, I don't want to comment on what my own party leader has said.
00:04He has his own reasons for saying it.
00:07My concern is much more that this relationship with the U.S.
00:10as a strategic partnership and as an economic relationship is important for us.
00:15We are exporting something like $90 billion worth of goods to America.
00:19We can't, therefore, be in a position where we are going to lose that or have it diminish significantly.
00:26Now, some people say, oh, that's only 2% of our GDP.
00:30But in terms of a percentage of our exports, it's considered America is for us one of our largest markets.
00:36And so when we look at this whole tariff question, we must wish our negotiators strength and courage in working out a fair deal for India.
00:44And at the same time, in making whatever sort of in negotiation, you always give some, you take some.
00:51There's got to be some flexibility that they need to show.
00:53But at the same time, there are some fundamental questions of national interest.
00:57They will not and cannot cross.
00:59But ultimately, for me, it seems to me that we need to preserve an export market in America.
01:04But we should also be talking to other countries, other regions about exporting our goods there.
01:09We've already got a free trade agreement now with the U.K., which has tremendous potential.
01:14We are well advanced in talks with the EU.
01:16If we have a good agreement with the EU, with Japan, other countries, we may be able to, to some degree, to make up for whatever we end up losing in the U.S.
01:25But we can't lose everything.
01:26We have to preserve some things.
01:28And to my mind, this is a task where we have to support our negotiators to bring us a good result.
01:34I don't want to comment on what my own party leader has said.
01:43He has his own reasons for saying it.
01:46My concern is much more that this relationship with the U.S. as a strategic partnership and as an economic relationship is important for us.
01:54We are exporting something like $90 billion worth of goods to America.
01:58We can't, therefore, be in a position where we are going to lose that or have it diminish significantly.
02:06Now, some people say, oh, that's only 2% of our GDP.
02:09But in terms of a percentage of our exports, it's considered America is for us one of our largest markets.
02:14And so, when we look at this whole tariff question, we must wish our negotiators strength and courage in working out a fair deal for India.
02:23And at the same time, in making whatever, sort of, in negotiation, you always give some, you take some.
02:30There's got to be some flexibility that they need to show.
02:33But at the same time, there are some fundamental questions of national interest they will not and cannot cross.
02:38But ultimately, for me, it seems to me that we need to preserve an export market in America.
02:43But we should also be talking to other countries, other regions about exporting our goods there.
02:49We've already got a free trade agreement now with the UK, which has tremendous potential.
02:53We are well advanced in talks with the EU.
02:55If we have a good agreement with the EU, with Japan, other countries, we may be able to, to some degree, to make up for whatever we end up losing in the US.
03:04But we can't lose everything.
03:06We have to preserve some things.
03:07And to my mind, this is a task where we have to support our negotiators to bring us a good result.
