'Will eat 1 roti less': Manish Tewari says India's stand on US tariffs is about self-respect; slams Donald Trump, his aide Peter Navarro

NEW DELHI: Reacting to Donald Trump’s remark that the United States has “lost India to China” in the context of the US-India tariff dispute, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Saturday asserted that India is a nation that values dignity and self-respect above all.

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“What @realDonaldTrump and the likes of @RealPNavarro (Trump aide Peter Navarro) don’t quite get it is not about tariffs; it is about self-respect, dignity, and honour,” Tewari wrote on X.

Drawing a parallel with the country’s historical struggle against the British Empire, he added, “We fought the Imperial British & vanquished them. India will eat one Roti less but never succumb to strong-arming.”


Trump’s comments came a few days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping met.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, the US president posted: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”

However, he later clarified he does not believe the US has “lost” India. Speaking to the media at the White House, he also expressed disappointment over India’s purchase of Russian oil despite Moscow's war with Ukraine.

"I don't think we have (lost India to China). I've been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India- 50 per cent, very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi as you know. He was here couple of months ago (February), in fact we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference," he said.

The Trump administration - including aides like Navarro - has alleged that India’s Russian oil imports "fund" the war in Ukraine. The second half of the 50 per cent tariffs took effect on August 27, targeting India in response to these purchases.

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