Shashi Tharoor Counters Rahul Gandhi, Rejects Trump’s ‘Dead Economy’ Claim

New Delhi, 1st August 2025: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has distanced himself from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s recent endorsement of US President Donald Trump’s critical remarks on the Indian economy. Tharoor refuted Trump’s assertion that the “Indian economy is dead,” saying the claim does not reflect reality.

“This is not the case, and we all know it,” said the Thiruvananthapuram MP while addressing reporters outside Parliament on Thursday. His remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi publicly agreed with Trump and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “killing” India’s economy.

Rahul Gandhi, in a post on social media platform X, had blamed Modi for the economic downturn and outlined five key reasons: “The Adani-Modi partnership; Demonetisation and a flawed Goods and Services Tax (GST); A failed ‘Assemble in India’ initiative; The destruction of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and the crushing of farmers.” He further claimed that Modi had “destroyed the future of India’s youth” due to the lack of employment opportunities.

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi added, “Everybody knows this except PM Modi and the Finance Minister. It is a dead economy. I am glad that the US President has stated facts… The entire world knows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ended the Indian economy to help Adani.”

The controversy stems from Donald Trump’s remarks posted on his platform, Truth Social, where he took a swipe at both India and Russia. “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,” the former US President wrote.

Tensions between Washington and New Delhi have also escalated on the trade front. Trump recently announced a 25% tariff on all goods imported from India, effective from 1st August, following the failure of both countries to finalise an interim trade agreement. The announcement has sparked concern among Indian exporters and raised fresh challenges for bilateral trade.