TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP-led central government over the recent imposition of a 50% tariff on Indian goods by US President Donald Trump. Speaking at the Kolkata airport, Banerjee called it a direct fallout of the PM Modi government’s “failed foreign policy and diplomatic missteps.”
“In 2019, Modi campaigned for Trump in Texas. In 2020, Trump visited Gujarat and Modi called him ‘my friend and India’s friend, Donald Trump.’ Now the same Trump has imposed this tariff. Those who campaigned for him should answer why this has happened,” Banerjee said.
“The onus is on the Prime Minister and the NDA government, not the Trinamool Congress, to answer for this diplomatic failure,” he added.
Banerjee also condemned Trump’s reported remark that India’s economy is “dead,” but said the economy is in the ICU. “I do not agree that India’s economy is dead. No one has the power to kill the Indian economy. It is surviving on the love and affection of 140 crore Indians. I can say the Indian economy is in the ICU. From bad, it has become worse in the last ten years. And by imposing a 50% tariff, there will be substantial job loss. Exports will come down. And this is all because of the poor foreign policy of the Indian government,” he said.
He warned that the tariff would severely affect India’s IT, pharmaceutical and textile sectors.
“Exports will be affected, especially in three industries – IT, pharmaceuticals and textiles. The services around these sectors will also be impacted… India should respond firmly to this,” Banerjee said.
Framing the issue as a broader diplomatic and strategic failure, he added: “Those who want to weaken India and create pressure—how did they suddenly become so powerful? The government that used to boast about its ’56-inch chest’, despite being in power, has been snubbed by China, the US, and many other countries.”
Banerjee said he did not wish to speak about these matters publicly but felt compelled to do so. “I was part of the all-party delegation and visited five countries. A multilateral forum like ASEAN consists of 11 countries. It includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, among others. Let alone putting pressure on Pakistan, they did not even issue a statement condemning Pakistan’s actions,” he said.
He also brought up national security concerns, citing incidents in Pulwama and Pahalgam, and questioned the government’s approach to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “The Home Minister said on the floor of the House that PoK is part of India. But what action has been taken? If there’s no action, countries will continue to weaken India and create pressure,” Banerjee said.
Turning to domestic issues, Banerjee accused the Election Commission of working in favour of the BJP and overstepping its mandate. “The ECI is working months ahead of the election, which is still 10-11 months away, only to prevent the elected state government from functioning,” he said. He alleged that the ECI was trying to disenfranchise “genuine Bengalis” and called its actions a “shameless role” for a supposedly impartial institution.
He also accused the Central government of misusing investigative agencies and the judiciary to undermine the Bengal government, citing over 50 CBI cases since 2021.