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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday declined to comment on his party colleague Rahul Gandhi backing US President Donald Trump’s "dead economy" remark on India amid tariff talks. Tharoor said it is crucial that New Delhi secures a fair deal, stressing that trade ties with America are important and should not be affected.

Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said: "I don’t want to comment on what my party leader has said. He has his reasons for saying so. My concern is that our relationship with the US, as a strategic and economic partnership, is important for us."

He further said that India must ensure its trade ties with the US remain protected since it is one of the biggest export markets.

“We are exporting around $90 billion worth of goods to America. We can’t be in a position to lose that or have it diminish significantly... In terms of percentage of our exports, America is one of our largest markets," he claimed. “We must wish our negotiators strength to get a fair deal for India."

#WATCH | Mumbai | On Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi agreeing with US President Donald Trump's 'dead economy' remark, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I don't want to comment on what my party leader has said. He has his reasons for saying so. My concern is that our… pic.twitter.com/zwJm4v4vRV

— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2025

The Thiruvananthapuram MP further went on to say that India should also be talking to other regions for exporting goods in order to make up for whatever it may lose to the US during negotiations.

“We already have an FTA with the UK, which has tremendous potential. We are well advancing in talks with the EU. If we have a good agreement with the EU, Japan and other countries, we could make up for some of what we might lose in the US, but we cannot lose everything," he said.

“We should also be talking to other regions for exporting our goods. Then we could make up for some of what we might lose in the US. We have to support our negotiators,” Tharoor added.

Tharoor’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods, citing its refusal to open up agricultural markets and oil imports from Russia, which Washington has claimed is fuelling the Ukraine war.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump later said, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care."

Thereafter, Rahul Gandhi agreed with Trump’s remark, saying, “Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. BJP has finished the economy to help Adani."

This sparked a row, drawing criticism from the BJP, with top leaders accusing Gandhi of speaking against the nation. 

Several Congress and Opposition leaders, including Tharoor, disagreed with Trump’s views and also backed off from endorsing Rahul Gandhi's remark. “No, not at all. That is not the case, and we all know it," Thaoroor had said.