Key Points

"America is trying to bully India. PM Narendra Modi has said we will not come under any pressure and will work for the welfare of our people. The call to go 'vocal for local' should be followed by all of us," Chief Minister Tamang told reporters after offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The Chief Minister said that visiting the temple had been a long-pending wish.

"After many years I could come here and offer prayers. I prayed for the people of Sikkim and the country, and I am thankful to the administration and temple trust," he added.

Chief Minister Tamang's remarks came against the backdrop of rising trade tensions after Washington announced steep tariffs on Indian exports.

Peter Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing at the White House and a key architect of the move, defended the decision in a post on social media platform X.

"President Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports are now in effect. This isn't just about India's unfair trade -- it's about cutting off the financial lifeline India has extended to Russian President Putin's war machine," Navarro claimed.

He alleged that India had become a major hub for refining and re-exporting Russian crude, enabling Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions.

"Here's how the India-Russia oil mathematics works: American consumers buy Indian goods while India blocks US exports. India uses our dollars to buy discounted Russian crude, refines it with Russian partners, and sells it internationally for big profits -- allowing Russia to pocket hard currency to fund its war on Ukraine," Navarro wrote.

According to him, Russian oil now accounts for more than 30 per cent of India's crude imports, compared to less than one per cent before the Ukraine war.

However, observers noted that Navarro's criticism did not extend to China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, leaving India as the primary target of Washington's latest tariff offensive.

- IANS