Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has issued a strong response to the ongoing tensions between India and the United States over proposed tariff hikes, warning that if Washington adopts a rigid, one-sided approach, “we’ll take the highway, and we should.”Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Tharoor said, “That’s precisely what we have to trust our negotiators to do… because the truth of the matter is that’s going to be an impossible position to find ourselves in. But there’s something terribly unjust and unfair about this entire proceeding at the moment, because… the Chinese, who are buying far more Russian oil and gas than we are… will only have 30%. So what happened to the great strategic partnership with India?”Tharoor questioned the direction of US policy, calling it “very bizarre” that the US might jeopardise a relationship built over 25 years for “some very petty, short term gains.” He added, “We will not be dictated to… there has to be give and take on both sides.”
Reiterating that India must protect its core interests, Tharoor said, “Our negotiators should definitely go in a spirit of saying, where we can make reasonable concessions, we will, but we will not be dictated to. If that happens, I think we’ll take the highway — and we should.”On energy trade, Tharoor firmly defended India’s oil imports from Russia. “Until and unless there are United Nations-approved global sanctions, we are not obliged to accept any country unilaterally dictating to us who we can and cannot buy from… The Chinese are buying far more than us. If the Americans don’t have the guts to sanction the Chinese but will sanction us, then I think we have to draw our conclusions from that. Our self-respect matters.”He also drew a red line on agricultural imports, calling the potential dumping of subsidised American grain into India “unthinkable.” With nearly 700 million Indians relying on agriculture, “we are accountable to our farmers,” Tharoor stressed, adding that no Indian government could allow such moves when farmer distress remains a major concern.Tharoor, however, left the door open for a fair agreement, saying negotiations must be mutual.“If the Americans dig in their heels and say ‘you will do exactly what we want’… then we should take the highway. Because the highway is open to us. We have plenty of other countries we can turn to, and we have plenty of other options on the horizon.”Also Read: China confirms PM Modi’s visit for SCO summit from Aug 1 to Sept 2
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