Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to latch on to US President Donald Trump’s “dead economy” remark to attack the Narendra Modi government has backfired, with his party colleagues and allies taking an opposite stand. Mr Gandhi’s endorsement of Trump’s remarks also provided the BJP a political opportunity to counter the Opposition’s attacks.
While Mr Gandhi endorsed Trump’s remarks and used them to slam the Centre, his senior party colleagues Shashi Tharoor and Rajiv Shukla pointed to the strength of the Indian economy, with Mr Tharoor stressing that New Delhi must not cave in to Washington DC’s unreasonable demands. Priyanka Chaturvedi, a key opposition voice and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, has also slammed Trump and said such a claim can “only come from a position of arrogance or ignorance”.
A day after announcing 25 per cent tariffs on imports from India, Trump dropped a bombshell today. Hitting out at India and Russia, he has said he does not care about New Delhi’s dealings with Moscow and that the two “can take their dead economies down together”.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Shortly after, Mr Gandhi told reporters at Parliament that he agreed with the US President. “He is right, everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact.”
Accusing the Prime Minister of “killing” the economy, Mr Gandhi blamed demonetisation, a “flawed” GST for the situation. Taking a swipe, the Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha, said “Assemble in India” — a play on Make in India — had failed and MSMEs “wiped out” and “farmers crushed”.
Mr Tharoor, whose remarks on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, have drawn snubs from the Congress leadership, took a different stand than Mr Gandhi on Trump’s remark. Stressing that the ongoing trade talks between the US and India are “challenging”, he said, “We have ongoing negotiations with the EU, we already concluded a deal with the UK, and we are talking with other countries also. If we can’t compete in America, we may have to diversify our markets outside of America. We are not out of options.”
#WATCH | Delhi | On trade negotiations between the US and India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “It is a challenging negotiation. We are negotiating with many countries. The US is not the only negotiation. We have ongoing negotiations with the EU, we already concluded a deal… pic.twitter.com/tl85WKiMjW
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2025
The Thiruvananthapuram MP also said that India must “move elsewhere” if the US is “completely unreasonable” with its demands. “That is the strength of India; we are not a totally export-dependent economy like China. We have a good and strong domestic market. We must give strong support to our negotiators to find the best deal possible. If a good deal is not possible, we may have to walk away.”
Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla said Trump’s statement is “completely wrong”. “Our economic condition is not at all weak. If someone claims they can finish us economically, it’s likely due to a misunderstanding. Trump is living in a delusion,” he told news agency ANI. Later speaking to NDTV on the US-Pakistan oil deal, Mr Shukla said, “Their oil deal with Pakistan doesn’t concern us. No country can dictate who we can or cannot do business with.”
#WATCH | Delhi | Congress MP Rajeev Shukla says, “… Trump saying that the economies of India and Russia are dead, is wrong. The Indian economy is not dead. Economic reforms were made when PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh were there. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took those reforms… pic.twitter.com/UZ0lLvRzZY
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2025
Priyanka Chaturvedi, a prominent Opposition leader, said there is enough data to know that the Indian economy is among the top five in the world. “Calling it a dead economy can only come from a position of arrogance or ignorance,” she said on X.
Not that one needs to say it there’s enough legitimate data available to know that Indian economy is in the top 5 of the world and one of the fastest growing economies. Calling it a dead economy can only come from a position of arrogance or ignorance. Thank you for your attention…
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) July 31, 2025
In another post, she said that while India has economic challenges and needs to work on per capita income, its economic challenges “do not equate to a dead economy”. She said Trump’s statement is clearly a tactic to close a deal.
The BJP has hit back at Mr Gandhi. Senior party leader Amit Malviya said the Congress leader hit a new low by echoing Trump’s “dead economy” jibe, terming it a “shameful insult to the aspirations, achievements, and well-being of the Indian people”.
“But let’s be honest – the only thing truly “dead” here is Rahul Gandhi’s own political credibility and legacy. Even amidst global slowdown, India remains the world’s fastest-growing major economy, with the IMF and World Bank revising growth projections upwards,” he said, adding, “This is not a dead economy. This is a surging, resilient India.”
“Who is Rahul Gandhi really speaking for? Why does he repeat foreign propaganda that undermines India?” Mr Malviya added.
BJP leader K Annamalai drew a Shashi Tharoor-Rahul Gandhi comparison. “I came across remarks by two Congress leaders on the same topic today. One spoke for India’s Interest, and the other spoke in a tone that would please his offshore masters,” he said.
I came across remarks by two Congress leaders on the same topic today. One spoke for India’s Interest, and the other spoke in a tone that would please his offshore masters.
When the world acknowledges India as the only bright spot on an otherwise dark horizon, here is the… pic.twitter.com/qejp39fAFF
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) July 31, 2025
“When the world acknowledges India as the only bright spot on an otherwise dark horizon, here is the leader of the opposition who feels otherwise. LoP Thiru Rahul Gandhi avl continues to wear ignorance like a badge of honour. He is blind to India’s rise, yet ever eager to echo foreign voices that undermine it,” he said.
