Trump, Tariffs and India – The New Freedom Struggle
Independence Day. The tricolour flaps. The speeches soar. WhatsApp groups buzz with forwarded poetry about sacrifice, unity, and progress.
Meanwhile, in the real world – the battlefield is no longer Kurukshetra or Kargil. It’s Washington, Beijing, Moscow, and Islamabad. And the fight is not with guns, but with tariffs, trade bans, and carefully timed hugs.
Let’s call the game. Donald Trump – the man who couldn’t bring China to its knees – seems hell-bent on bringing India to its knees. The excuse? Trade imbalances. The reality? Petty politics. When Modi visited New York during Trump’s election campaign but didn’t visit him – it bruised the orange ego. Now? Payback season in the arena of India politics.
Tariffs? Honestly, I don’t lose sleep over them. They’re a bruise, not a bullet. But the rest? Far more lethal.
Trump’s warming up to Pakistan – selling them defence equipment, giving assurances, and smiling for photos. Pakistan nominates him for a Nobel Prize and even invests in his shiny new cryptocurrency. Cozy, right? And just to sweeten the chai, the US designates BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) a terrorist outfit. What’s the play? Could Pakistan wave around “evidence” of Indian funding and try to stick the same terror tag on us, like we do on them? Don’t put it past them — such moves have always been part of India politics at the global stage.
Meanwhile, Russia is doing business with multiple countries without a hitch – but India gets singled out for punishment. Even if Trump and Putin meet, it’s unlikely tariffs vanish for India. What’s more dangerous? Putin shedding his pariah status – meaning he won’t need India as much anymore, shifting the balance in India politics.
And then… the China turn. After years of chest-thumping, Modi visits Beijing. Direct flights between India and China restart. The handshake smiles are for the cameras, but the subtext is survival. Because the West isn’t acting like a friend – and in global geopolitics, you can’t afford to sit alone at lunch.
On top of that, immigration changes are making Indian-Americans nervous. The community that once had influence and teeth now finds itself gnawing at air. This too reflects the changing face of India politics for the diaspora.
So, this Independence Day – let’s stop pretending freedom is a statue or a parade. Freedom is not guaranteed. It’s a hustle. A daily fight to keep India from being a bargaining chip in someone else’s poker game.
And yet – there’s a flicker of hope. India’s strength has never been about who’s in power abroad – it’s about the fact that we refuse to be erased. We adapt. We trade. We survive. And sometimes, that’s all you need to win the next round.
Here’s to the fight. Because 15th August 1947 gave us independence – but 15th August 2025 demands we keep it.