New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is “economic blackmail” to bully India into an unfair trade deal.

Soon after Trump announced a penalty of another 25 per cent on India for buying Russian oil, the former Congress president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not let Indian interests be overridden.

“Trump’s 50% tariff is economic blackmail – an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal.

“PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

Trump on Wednesday slapped an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods coming from India as penalty for New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, a move that is likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather exports hard.

Trump signed an executive order – Addressing Threats to the US by the Government of the Russian Federation – imposing the additional tariff over an above the 25 per cent levy which comes into effect from August 7.

After this order, the total tariff on Indian goods, barring a small exemption list, will be 50 per cent.