India-US Ties Face Strain Over Trump Tariffs, Geopolitics: Ram Madhav

Addressing an Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) interaction here, Madhav, president of the India Foundation and a former BJP national general secretary, said expectations in India were high after President Donald Trump's return to office, but developments since then have been "unexpected."

"This was not expected. As our party also said, when Trump 2.0 happened, there was a lot of enthusiasm in our camp also," he said, noting that Trump enjoys significant support in India.

Madhav said the experience with Trump was not unique to India. "That is the experience of many countries in the world with Trump. President Trump has his own style, his own way of dealing with countries, dealing with issues," he said.

On tariffs, Madhav said India has shown readiness to negotiate and that talks between the two sides have been underway for months. "Our commerce ministry and department of commerce here have been holding talks for almost eight, nine months," he said, adding that negotiations were "very close to a deal."

However, he cautioned that trade discussions became complicated when mixed with geopolitical issues. "What complicates the matter is when trade issues are mixed up with geopolitics," he said, referring to attempts to link trade with India-Pakistan tensions.

Madhav said India firmly rejected such linkages. "On this issue of India-Pakistan, we have a clear-cut policy that it will only be a bilateral issue. There is no role whatsoever for any third country to play in this," he said.

He said India had conveyed this position clearly to Washington. "We politely told that one should not mix up geopolitics with trade," he said, adding that trade negotiations are now being handled separately.

Madhav also appeared to take a swipe at suggestions that policy decisions could be concluded informally. "India takes matters too seriously. Policies cannot be phone-call away," he said, stressing that trade agreements require detailed negotiations.

Despite current difficulties, Madhav said there was no desire in India to damage the relationship. "This relationship is far more important for us, much more important than individuals," he said.

He credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for laying the foundation of modern India-US ties. "He said India and the US are natural allies," Madhav recalled, calling the relationship one built over decades.

He also highlighted the role of the Indian diaspora. "Indian Americans have been a very important element in this relationship," he said.

Madhav said the current phase should be seen as temporary. "There are a few hiccups which are essentially personality-oriented, not at all policy-oriented," he said, adding that India remains committed to restoring momentum.

- IANS