'We didn't react': Rajnath Singh calls India 'broad-minded' for measured response to Trump's trade tariffs

Defence minister Rajnath Singh (File image)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday defended India's restrained approach to addressing American trade penalties and the 50% trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. During his official visit to Morocco he characterized India's diplomatic temperament as fundamentally patient and magnanimous.

Speaking to the Indian diaspora community in Morocco during his two-day official tour, the defence minister addressed the 50 percent tariff recently levied by Washington on Indian exports, which included an additional 25 percent penalty specifically targeting India's ongoing energy trade relationship with Russia.

"We did not respond right away. Those who are broad-minded and big-hearted do not react immediately," Singh explained to the assembled audience, defending the Modi government's measured diplomatic stance.

#WATCH | Rabat, Morocco: On 50% tariff, imposed by the US, at the interaction with the Indian community in Morocco, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "We didn't react...Those who are broad-minded and big-hearted, do not react on anything immediately." pic.twitter.com/m0X8pooThz

— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2025

The minister's remarks provided insight into India's strategic calculation regarding the harsh trade tariffs, which have emerged as a point of bilateral tension amid broader geopolitical complexities surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

During the same address, Singh shifted focus to the contentious issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, expressing optimism about India's eventual reunification with it through peaceful means rather than military intervention.

"PoK will come under our control naturally. There are already voices within the region demanding freedom from the current administration," he stated, suggesting that internal developments would facilitate territorial integration.

Singh referenced previous statements he made on this subject, recalling his address to Indian Army personnel in Jammu and Kashmir five years earlier where he outlined similar expectations.

"I had said then that we would not need to attack or capture PoK; it will itself proclaim, 'Main bhi Bharat Hoon.' That day will come," he added, reiterating his confidence in organic political transformation within the region.