‘Don’t Lose Sleep Over It’: Manish Tewari’s ‘1971 War’ Reminder to Trump After Tariff Threat
Congress MP Manish Tewari reminded US President Donald Trump about the time America attempted to interfere during the 1971 Indo-Pak War by deploying naval ships to discourage India’s actions.
Shortly after Donald Trump on Monday threatened to “substantially increase” the tariff imposed on India for purchasing “large quantities of Russian oil”, Congress leader Manish Tewari hit back with sharp remarks, asserting that India possesses enough “resilience” to withstand his “tariff threat”.
In a sarcastic tone, Tewari told Trump not to “lose sleep over it” and recalled the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, during which the United States had tried to meddle by sending its naval fleet in an effort to intimidate India.
Drawing a comparison between the two instances as proof of India’s strength, Tewari said that the US had dispatched the Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal to “deter” India from “reshaping the political geography of South Asia”. He added that India “endured that pressure” and would do the same if Trump went ahead with his tariff escalation.
“Don’t lose sleep over it… Your country sent the Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal in 1971 to deter us from reshaping the political geography of South Asia. We endured that. We have ample resilience as a nation to deal with your tariff threat. Thank you for your attention to this matter SIR,” Tewari posted on X.
Trump had alleged that a significant portion of the Russian oil imported by India was being resold in global markets “for high profits”. His comments, posted on his social media platform Truth Social, came a few days after he declared a 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods and hinted at additional penalties for importing Russian oil.
“India is not just buying large amounts of Russian oil, but then, for much of that oil, reselling it in the global market for high profits. They don’t seem to care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Due to this, I will be significantly increasing the tariff paid by India to the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” Trump said in the post.
India has strongly defended its sovereign right to manage its energy policy in line with its national priorities.
The Central Government has clarified that India’s energy imports are dictated by market trends and the country’s strategic interests.
