Trump Destroying US-India Ties Over Nobel Snub, Says Congressman Ro Khanna

Prominent US Congressman Ro Khanna has accused President Donald Trump of "destroying" decades of bipartisan efforts to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership, NDTV reported.

He alleged Trump’s decision to impose steep tariffs on India was linked to New Delhi’s refusal to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move Pakistan had supported.

"Trump is destroying 30 years of bipartisan work to build the US-India strategic partnership because Modi refuses to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. He imposed higher tariffs of 50% on India than China," Khanna said.

He also questioned how many Indian Americans who had voted for Trump have spoken out over the tariffs.

Trump administration has slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products, including a 25 per cent duty over Russian oil imports by New Delhi.

Khanna stressed that these measures are harsher than those applied to Brazil and China, causing losses to India’s leather and textile sectors and damaging American exporters as well.

The US Congressman echoed concerns of former US diplomat and officials that Trump’s trade policies risks pushing India closer to China and Russia.

Khanna’s remarks came after Prime Minister Modi’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit, a development that projected strong signals to Western powers.

Calling the situation a “five-alarm fire”, he accused Trump of putting at risk three decades of work invested in building the India-US alliance.

Khanna argued that the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs was India’s refusal to acknowledge him as a mediator during its conflict with Pakistan, diminishing the US President’s aspirations to be seen as a global peacemaker.

"Prime Minister Modi refused to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, while Pakistan did. And India has said that the border dispute with Pakistan is an internal matter, refusing to give Donald Trump credit," said the Congressman in a video message posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Although Trump has justified his tariffs as a response to what he terms India’s unfair trade practices and oil deals with Russia, widespread reports have linked the measures to his frustration over the Nobel nomination.

"We can't allow the ego of Donald Trump to destroy a strategic relationship with India that is key to ensuring America leads and not China," Khanna said.

He urged Indian Americans to raise their voices against the administration’s policies.

"To all those Americans who voted for Donald Trump, I am asking you where are you today while he destroys this relationship," he said.

Alongside his video, Khanna also shared a post from Indian American entrepreneur Vinod Khosla, who distanced himself from Trump.

"If he ever wins the Nobel, I will stop caring about who wins the Nobel. It will be desecrated, dirtbag medal," the billionaire had said in his post.

Please click here to add Swarajya as your preferred and trusted news source on Google.

Also Read: Russia Negotiating Additional S-400 Supplies With India; Su-57 Aircraft Also On Agenda: Russian Official