Highlights:
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Dr Bharat Barai called for a reversal of US tariffs on India to restore bilateral ties
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He said India was unfairly penalized over Russian oil imports
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Dr Bharat Barai criticized the additional 25 percent duty as politically driven
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He claimed many US lawmakers oppose the tariffs privately
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Dr Bharat Barai said India’s global standing has strengthened despite tensions with the US
An eminent Indian-American physician and community leader, Dr Bharat Barai, has warned that recent US tariff measures on Indian imports risk damaging long-standing India-US relations and could keep ties frozen unless the policies are reversed. Speaking on the current state of bilateral relations, Dr Bharat Barai said India had been unfairly singled out by Washington despite the complex global realities surrounding trade and energy security.
Dr Bharat Barai said the steady progress made in India-US relations over several US administrations had suffered a setback following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. According to Dr Bharat Barai, the latest trade actions appeared to be influenced more by political considerations than by economic logic, undermining trust built over decades between the two countries.
Dr Bharat Barai on US India Tariffs and Trade Deficit
Addressing the issue of trade imbalance, Dr Bharat Barai acknowledged that the US does run a trade deficit with India. However, he said any attempt to address it should be measured and balanced rather than abrupt and punitive. He stressed that tariffs imposed purely to close a trade gap without proper calibration could cause lasting harm to bilateral ties.
“Doing X amount of tariffs purely on economic grounds to remove the trade deficit will be one thing, and they impose 25 per cent that so-called reciprocal duty to wipe out the trade deficit,” he said. Dr Bharat Barai added that if tariffs were necessary, they should have been lower and proportionate. “More like 15 per cent or so,” he said.
Dr Bharat Barai emphasized that sudden and steep tariffs risk disrupting supply chains and weakening cooperation between two strategic partners that share growing economic and geopolitical interests.
Dr Bharat Barai Criticizes Penalty Linked to Russian Oil Imports
Dr Bharat Barai was particularly critical of the additional 25 percent duty imposed on India as a penalty linked to its imports of Russian oil. While condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Dr Bharat Barai said India had become “a sort of innocent bystander casualty” of a policy that lacked consistency and fairness in its application.
“China is importing more oil than India, but China has a Trump card, and their Trump card is the rare earth metals,” he said. Dr Bharat Barai pointed out that the US and Europe remain heavily dependent on China for rare earth elements used in electric vehicles, defense systems, and advanced aircraft technologies.
He also noted that several European countries continue to import Russian energy without facing similar penalties. “So why single out India with 25 per cent additional import duty when China is only at 47 per cent? Most European countries are around 15 per cent. There is no extra duty on Hungary or Slovenia for continuing to import Russian oil,” he said.
According to Dr Bharat Barai, such inconsistencies weaken the credibility of US trade policy and send mixed signals to allies and partners.
Dr Bharat Barai Says Policy Driven by a Small Group
Dr Bharat Barai attributed the tariff decisions to a small group within the US administration. He named President Trump, immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, and trade adviser Peter Navarro as key figures shaping the policy. Dr Bharat Barai said many US lawmakers privately disagreed with the tariffs but were reluctant to challenge them openly.
“Many congressmen and senators are very unhappy about it in private when they have a conversation. They do admit that this is wrong, but they all are afraid that President Trump will try to take revenge on them,” he said. He added that concerns about primary challenges had kept lawmakers silent.
Dr Bharat Barai also pointed to recent election results in New Jersey, Virginia, and Miami as signs of growing public dissatisfaction. “His policies are becoming very unpopular. They are totally arbitrary, made up by three people sitting in the Oval Office rather than the United States Congress,” Dr Bharat Barai said. He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would eventually rule that tariff-setting authority rests with Congress.
Dr Bharat Barai on the Future of India-US Relations
Looking ahead, Dr Bharat Barai warned that India-US relations could remain strained unless the additional duties were lifted through a negotiated trade agreement. He noted that Indian companies, including Reliance, had already reduced Russian oil imports in response to sanctions, but said India could not fully abandon a critical energy source.
“For India, serving the population of 1.4 billion, wherever they can find a reliable source and cheaper source of energy, it is important,” he said.
Dr Bharat Barai also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the situation, describing his approach as “very diplomatically, very politely, very gentlemanly.” He said the prime minister was acting firmly in India’s national interest while maintaining diplomatic restraint.
Despite tensions with Washington, Dr Bharat Barai said India’s global standing has continued to strengthen. He cited closer ties with Europe, a free trade agreement with the UK, expanding engagement with Africa, and a defense pact with Australia as evidence that India remains an influential global player even amid challenges in its relationship with the US.
