Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday said that India achieved 7.8 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth despite “challenges created by economic selfishness”, remarks seen as directed at United States President Donald Trump, reports TOI.
Speaking in Delhi at the inauguration of the Semicon India 2025 event, Modi said India’s first-quarter growth figures exceeded expectations. He added that if India’s economic momentum holds, its path to becoming the world’s third-largest economy would accelerate.
“Just a few days ago, the GDP numbers for the first quarter of this year have come. Once again, India has performed better than every expectation, every assessment. At a time when there are concerns in the world’s economies, due to challenges created by economic selfishness, India has achieved a growth of 7.8 per cent,” he said.
The comment comes days after Washington imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports, escalating trade tensions between the two countries.
Trump’s tariffs and remarks
The US recently imposed duties of 50 per cent on Indian exports — the joint-highest with Brazil. The second round of 25 per cent duties took effect on 27 August, targeting India over its continued purchase of Russian oil. Washington has argued that such trade supports Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
In a social media post on Monday, Trump said trade with India had been a “one-sided disaster” for decades, alleging that high tariffs had blocked US businesses from accessing the Indian market.
“They sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client’, but we sell them very little… Until now a totally one-sided relationship, and it has been for many decades,” Trump wrote.
He further claimed that New Delhi had now offered to cut tariffs “to nothing,” but said it was “getting late.” India has previously rejected similar assertions.
