US Tariff: The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), the RSS’s economic wing, said it deeply regrets a recently passed US Senate legislation that would let the American president impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries making significant purchases of Russian oil. SJM national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan noted the bill hasn’t completed the full legislative process yet, so tariffs won’t kick in automatically, but he called it a serious threat to fair international trade and countries’ right to set their own energy policy.
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“No Country Can Dictate India’s Energy Choices”
Mahajan said India’s Russian crude purchases are driven by price, availability, supply diversification and consumer interest, not politics. He argued that no outside power has the right to dictate India’s sovereign trade and energy decisions, and that trade talks with Washington “cannot be conducted on gun point.”
Call for a Boycott
The SJM urged the government to consider a boycott of American products and services if the US continues acting against India’s interests. It also asked that any India-US trade negotiation be based on equality, reciprocity and mutual respect, without compromising agriculture, dairy, energy security or strategic autonomy.
The Bigger Tariff Picture
The warning comes against the backdrop of already steep US tariffs on Indian goods, which were doubled from 25 percent to 50 percent last year, partly tied to India’s continued Russian oil purchases. India’s Chief Economic Adviser has estimated the tariffs could shave off 0.5 to 0.6 percent from GDP this financial year, with sectors like textiles, jewelry and leather goods among the hardest hit.
What Comes Next
US Tariff: With India-US trade talks ongoing, the SJM’s intervention adds pressure on the government to hold a firm line on Russian oil purchases even as export losses mount, setting up a delicate balancing act between economic ties with Washington and India’s energy autonomy.
