‘India will eat one roti less’: Manish Tewari rebukes Trump’s “deepest, darkest China” remark

For the Congress leader, the point was not trade disputes but asserting that India cannot be pressured into choices by outside powers.

Congress leader Manish Tewari on Saturday pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim that India has been “lost to deepest, darkest China.” Tewari argued that the matter is not about trade or tariffs but about self-respect, dignity, and honour.

“What @realDonaldTrump and the likes of @RealPNavarro don’t quite get is it is not about tariffs, it is about self-respect, dignity and honour. We fought the Imperial British & vanquished them. India will eat one roti less but never succumb to strong-arming,” Tewari wrote on X.

What @realDonaldTrump and the likes of @RealPNavarro don’t quite get it is not about tariff’s it is about self respect, dignity and honour. We fought the Imperial British & vanquished them . India will eat one Roti less but never succumb to strong arming . Trump says India…

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) September 6, 2025

His remarks came after Trump posted on Truth Social, sharing a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump wrote.

Facing questions at the White House on Friday, Trump softened his stance, saying he didn’t actually believe the US had “lost” India. But he voiced disappointment over India’s purchase of Russian oil and pointed to the 50 per cent tariff imposed on India.

“I don’t think we have [lost India]. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India, 50 percent, very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago; in fact, we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference,” Trump told ANI.

Meanwhile, Trump’s adviser Peter Navarro again targeted India, accusing it of profiteering from Russian oil and claiming tariffs were hurting American jobs. His repeated attacks have fueled debate over Washington’s evolving stance towards New Delhi.