Shashi Tharoor calls out Peter Navarro's 'maharaja of tariffs' remark

India Sep 23, 2025

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called out Peter Navarro, White House trade advisor to Donald Trump, for making harsh remarks about India—like calling it the "maharaja of tariffs" and a "laundromat of Russia."
Tharoor suggested that this kind of language isn't helpful when India and the US are working on building a stronger relationship.

Tharoor warns that Trump's tariffs could hurt US-India relationship

Tharoor also criticized Trump's 25% tariff on Indian imports, which was introduced in August over India's oil deals with Russia.
He believes these tariffs—and heated words—are putting decades of growing US-India friendship at risk, saying, "We've had a 30-year relationship moving toward greater closeness," and suggested that both sides should avoid actions that damage that progress.