Shashi Tharoor - NEWS Of KASHMIR

Shashi Tharoor Urges 50% Tariff on US Goods in Retaliation to Trump’s New Trade Penalty on India

August 7, 2025 by NOK Desk

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that India should also raise tariffs on American goods to 50 per cent in response to the US imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports.

Tharoor questioned why India should stop at the current 17 per cent tariff and emphasised that the country should not be intimidated by such actions. He also said that no country should be allowed to threaten India in this manner.

Speaking to the reporters, Shashi Tharoor said, “It will definitely have an impact because we have a trade of $90 billion with them, and if everything becomes 50% more expensive, buyers will also think why should they buy Indian things?… If they do this, we should also impose a 50% tariff on American exports… It is not that any country can threaten us like this…”

“Our average tariffs on American goods are 17%. Why should we stop at 17%? We should also raise it to 50%… We need to ask them, do they not value our relationship? If India doesn’t matter to them, they should also not matter to us,” he added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on August 6 imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India. Trump cited matters of national security and foreign policy concerns, as well as other relevant trade laws, for the increase, claiming that India’s imports of Russian oil, directly or indirectly, pose an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States.

Terming the United States’ move to impose additional tariffs on India over its oil imports from Russia as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared that New Delhi will take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests.

In further development, a senior United States Administration Official told ANI that there is simply “no comparison” between the hundreds of billions of dollars of growing Indian imports of Russian oil and the modest US imports of Russian goods.

In response to a question, the US official told ANI, “There is simply no comparison between the hundreds of billions of dollars of growing Indian imports of Russian oil, and the modest U.S. imports of Russian goods, which amount to less than 1% of the value of Indian imports”. (ANI)

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Shashi Tharoor, Indian MPs Condemn Boulder Terror Attack, Support Rubio’s Stand Against Violence

June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 by NOK Desk

All-party delegation leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said Members of the Indian MPs’ delegation learnt with concern about the terror attack in Colorado and were relieved that there was no loss of life.

In a post on X, Tharoor said that the MPs share the Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s view that ‘terror has no place’ in our countries.”

“Members of the Indian MPs’ delegation learnt with concern about the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, today. We are relieved there was no loss of life. We all share the Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s view that ‘terror has no place’ in our countries,” the Congress MP said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charged a 45-year-old man, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, with carrying out a “targeted terror attack” that occurred in Colorado’s Boulder on Sunday, where several peaceful Israeli supporters were burned, Fox News reported.

The FBI said six people aged between 67 and 88 years were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

According to Boulder Police Department (BPD) Chief Steve Redfearn, officers were called to the county courthouse on Pearl Street at about 1:26 pm (local time) for reports of a man who had a weapon, setting people on fire, Fox News reported. According to the BPD and the FBI, Soliman, who was shouting “Free Palestine” during the attack, was arrested at the spot.

FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said the attack is being probed as an act of “ideologically motivated violence” on the basis of early information, evidence and witness accounts.

The incident occurred near an event organised by “Run for Their Lives”, a grassroots organisation that facilitates global run and walk events demanding the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

FBI Director Kash Patel said that the agency is investigating a “targeted terror attack” in Boulder, Colorado.

In a post on X, Patel stated, “We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”

The delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is presently in Brazil and will head to the US tomorrow.

The delegation was received at the airport in Brasilia by Sandeep Kumar Kujur, Charge d’Affaires of the Indian Embassy in Brazil. (ANI)

Shashi Tharoor Condemns Terrorism in Panama, Calls for Global Accountability After Pahalgam Attack

May 29, 2025 by NOK Desk

All-Party Delegation Leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that terrorism should not be a resort to address international disputes.

While addressing the Panamanian side led by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez Acha, Tharoor, referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, said that India will go after the perpetrators of terrorism.

“Terrorism should not be a resort of attempting to addressing international disputes. If there are problems, there are other ways of dealing with them; sending terrorists across the border is simply unacceptable, and that should be made clear. We should go after the perpetrators, the killers ourselves, and we will do so,” he said.

Tharoor said that the countries which provide a safe haven to terrorists should also be held accountable.

“But those who give them safe haven, those who protect them, finance them, train them, arm them, dispatch them and guide them, they should also be held accountable. And increasingly it seems to me it will become inescapable for us to face this particular aspect of the challenge,” he said.

Tharoor also thanked Acha for Panama’s support to India with regards to a seat in the United Nations Security Council.

“I want to start by thanking you for the very constructive statement that Panama issued on this subject and the very helpful role that you have played in the Security Council. And we certainly hope that your instructions to your ambassador will continue to be to show understanding for India’s position. We know that Panama, indeed, the President of the National Assembly said this already, has consistently stood against terrorism,” he said.

Tharoor explained the motive of the All-Party Delegation, saying that the idea behind it is to explain the Indian narrative on the Pahalgam terror attack and its aftermath.

“Our delegation, which covers five political parties and represents all parts of the country. And what we are trying to do is to go to a few countries in this region. The Prime Minister has sent smaller delegations to other regions as well. The idea is to explain to you our perspective on the recent events in our country and to seek your understanding for not just what we did, and what stand we have taken in the event of any future developments of a similar nature. And we certainly would like to seek your understanding,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Acha backed India for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

Acha, during his address to the All-Party Delegation Group 5, led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, noted the steady bilateral relations between both countries.

“It is not the first time that I say this, but probably it is the first time that you hear this. I have said publicly that India deserves to be in the Security Council of the United Nations,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tharoor-led delegation met with the President of the Republic of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino, at the Presidential house.

The delegation led by Tharoor includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita–all from BJP; Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora. (ANI)