As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rightly countered, With a reform like GST, many of the tariff concerns would be offset
In a world that claims to have moved beyond the shadows of colonialism, the recent remarks by US President Donald Trump and White house Trade adviser Peter Navarro reflect how deep the imperial hangover still runs in the West. Trump declared that "India is now the largest buyer of Russian oil," while hinting that New Delhi may face some more penalities apart from the current 50% Tariffs, if it continues its energy imports from Moscow. This is not just economic pressure it is a veiled threat, a reminder of the bullying tone the West adopts when it sees sovereign nations acting independently. As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rightly countered, "With a reform like GST, many of the tariff concerns would be offset," assuring that India will chart its own path. The question that arises is simple: how long will Washington continue to operate as if it still has the right to dictate terms to nations like India? After all, how can a country bully 1.4 billion people, Did they presume that the old imperial playbook will work in a new multipolar world?
India's purchase of Russian oil has become a favourite target for American lectures, but what Washington conveniently ignores is the principle of energy security. For a developing economy that needs to sustain 1.4 billion people, energy independence is non-negotiable. India cannot and will not compromise its people's well-being for the sake of Western geopolitical rivalries. While the U.S. insists that India reduce its reliance on Russian oil, the same America continues to import Russian uranium for its nuclear power plants. This hypocrisy is glaring Washington is free to serve its own national interest, but New Delhi is expected to comply with Western diktats.
Moreover, when global crude prices skyrocketed after the Ukraine war, it was Russian oil that offered India an affordable alternative, ensuring that inflation did not spiral out of control. The Modi government's policy saved ordinary households from economic pain, keeping petrol and diesel prices stable. To suggest that India abandon such a pragmatic policy merely to satisfy Western political posturing is absurd.
The U.S. argument that buying Russian oil indirectly funds the war in Ukraine falls flat when examined against America's own history. From Iraq to Afghanistan, from Libya to Vietnam, Washington has waged wars while still benefiting from global trade without any country daring to impose sanctions on it. Why then should India sacrifice its hard-earned energy security just to pacify an inconsistent Western conscience?
Navarro had said that "Brahmins" were benefiting from India's purchase of Russian oil amid the Ukraine war. Some in India pointed out that Trump's tariff czar was probably borrowing from the American term 'Boston Brahmins', meaning old money elites.
"Exactly the same divide and rule principle that the British used, which the imperialists used here. And today, you have the friends of the imperialists telling us, 'you know the expression Boston Brahmins is this and not that'. Who damn cares? I'm sorry. Who damn cares? I want Indians to think for ourselves," Nirmala Sitharaman said in an interview to CNBC TV18.
Nirmala Sitharaman also urged those "defending the language" to stand up to the likes of Peter Navarro.
"I want those Indians who are now defending that language to get up and say, 'We are free from you all now for over 75-80 years. We'll mind our business, we'll take care of ourselves. Refrain from using these words,'" she added.
Nirmala Sitharaman called the explanation of the expression from Navarro coming out of India 'outrageous'.
India has consistently highlighted this hypocrisy. Nirmala Sitharaman, speaking firmly, assured support for domestic industries that face up to 50 percent tariffs imposed by the U.S., saying: "We will come out with something to handhold those who have been hit. The package includes a variety of measures, and something is definitely coming to help them." Her words send a clear message India will not kneel. Whether through GST reforms or targeted support measures, the government is determined to shield Indian businesses from American trade wars.
The GST reform itself has been a transformative step that makes Indian industry more competitive. It reduces cascading taxes, streamlines supply chains, and improves India's export potential. To suggest that India's economy must be crippled just to keep Washington happy is to fundamentally misunderstand the new global balance of power.
What makes Trump and Navarro's remarks particularly galling is the tone they echo the colonial arrogance that once kept India in chains. To say certain things for pursuing its national interest is no different from the East India Company threatening native rulers for trading outside British approval. This mindset, unfortunately, is alive in much of the Western establishment.
How else can one explain the lecturing tone reserved for India, while other U.S. allies who trade with Russia escape scrutiny? Europe, for instance, continues to import Russian gas through indirect channels, and Western firms find loopholes to sustain their businesses in Russia. Yet, India is singled out for criticism. Why? Because the old colonial reflex is still at play the West believes it can police the Global South while exempting itself.
India is no longer a subject nation. It is the world's fourth-largest economy, a nuclear power, a space leader, and a nation with unmatched human capital. To attempt to bully India with tariff threats or sanctions is not just futile it is insulting to the democratic aspirations of 1.4 billion people.
The U.S. must come to terms with a new reality: India is not dependent on Western approval to chart its course. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India has forged stronger ties with Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa simultaneously. This multi-alignment strategy reflects India's commitment to its own interests rather than ideological camps dictated by others.
US statement is also ironic when seen in the context of America's own decline in moral authority. Washington that once claimed to be the global defender of freedom now uses threats, tariffs, and sanctions as blunt tools of control. But these tools are less effective against nations like India, which have learned from their colonial past and refuse to surrender sovereignty again.
The support promised by Nirmala Sitharaman to Indian industries is not just an economic measure it is a political statement. It tells the world that India's government stands firmly with its people, and no external pressure will compromise that. From energy security to trade independence, India is asserting its right to self-determination, just as it did when it threw off the shackles of colonialism in 1947.
Outrageous remarks from US are a reminder that the colonial mindset is alive. To threaten penalties, to lecture a sovereign nation on where it buys its oil, or to impose tariffs on Indian goods is to behave as if the 21st century is still ruled from Washington or London. But India is not a colony anymore. It is a rising power that will not bow, will not compromise its energy security, and will not let its industries be crippled by American trade bullying.
The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's firm words reflect the spirit of modern India: self-reliant, confident, and unwilling to be dictated to. The world has changed, and those who still operate with the old imperial playbook must realise that the age of Western dominance is over. India will chart its own course and no Trump, no tariff, and no sanction can alter that destiny.