‘Will Trump’s good friend in Delhi stand up?’: Congress on US threat to GST

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday asked whether United States President Donald Trump’s “good friend in New Delhi” will stand up to the reciprocal tariffs being imposed by Washington that were threatening the “very existence” of the Goods and Services Tax.

Ramesh was referring to the perceived close ties between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump. His remarks came after Trump on February 13 imposed reciprocal tariffs with no exceptions. The tariffs were not specific to India.

At a press conference alongside Modi hours later, Trump said that India had been strong on tariffs and the so-called reciprocal measures were “very fair”. The US president has previously claimed that India is a “very big abuser” of the trade relationship with his country.

On Wednesday, Ramesh said that “this talk of reciprocal tariffs by the US president” was calling into question a consumption tax like the Goods and Services Tax.

“By its very structure, GST is applicable to imports but not on exports,” the Rajya Sabha MP said on X. “This has never been disputed.”

Ramesh added that national sovereignty was at stake. “Will President Trump’s good friend in New Delhi, who keeps trumpeting that he is a Vishwaguru, stand up?” he asked.

The Indian National Congress has long been calling for a GST 2.0 that will make GST a…

Read more