NEW DELHI, July 31 — The Congress party was visibly split on Thursday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi endorsed US President Donald Trump’s remarks branding the Indian economy as “dead,” even as senior party colleagues strongly disagreed, defending India’s economic strength.
“Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister,” Gandhi told reporters, referring to Trump’s comments. “I’m glad that President Trump has stated a fact… the Indian economy is a dead economy,” he said.
Gandhi further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to counter Trump’s repeated assertions, including his claims about facilitating the India–Pakistan ceasefire, the alleged downing of Indian fighter jets, and the recent 25% tariff announcement on Indian imports.
“Why is PM Modi not able to give an answer? What is the actual reason? Who has the control in his hands?” Gandhi asked, while also criticising the government’s foreign policy as being marked by “total confusion.”
However, other Congress leaders struck a sharply different tone.
Shashi Tharoor, senior MP and former diplomat, rejected Trump’s economic characterisation, calling it a “very serious situation” for India, particularly in light of the looming trade penalties. “Early estimates suggest India could lose up to 0.5% of its GDP if we lose access to the US market,” Tharoor warned, but maintained that India’s economy remains fundamentally sound.
Rajeev Shukla, senior Congress MP, also pushed back against Trump’s claim. “The Indian economy is not dead. It is one of the strongest in the world,” he said. “Trump is living in a delusion.” He praised past governments — including those led by PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh — for laying the foundations of a resilient economy. “Our economic condition is not at all weak,” he asserted.
Outside the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also joined the chorus dismissing Trump’s remarks. In a post on X, she wrote, “India’s economy is in the top five globally and among the fastest growing. Calling it ‘dead’ can only come from arrogance or ignorance.”
Trump’s controversial statement came via his Truth Social platform, where he said, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” while announcing tariffs and penalties targeting India, allegedly over its continued oil trade with Russia.
The episode has not only triggered diplomatic unease but also exposed political fault lines within India, with key opposition figures offering starkly contrasting takes on how to respond to the mounting trade and foreign policy friction with Washington.
