Choose coordination over coercion: AAP MP to Trump in open letter

Chandigarh, Aug 8 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party MP Ashok Kumar Mittal has described US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods as "deeply disappointing" and urged the American leadership to choose coordination over coercion.

In an open letter to Trump, Mittal, who is also the founder-Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, refuted the US President's characterisation of the nation as a "dead economy", stressing that India is the fourth-largest world economy, which is growing at a fast pace.

Mittal described Trump's decision on tariff as "deeply disappointing", especially given the values-based partnership and mutual strategic interests that both the countries share historically.

In the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Mittal urged the US to choose coordination over coercion.

"Should a nation pressurise India against trade with Russia when it itself relies on the Kremlin for its domestic interests?" he said, referring to the ongoing American and European trade with Russia, and US imports of uranium and palladium. "American companies generate USD 80-plus billion annually from the Indian market. The US digital economy runs on code - much of it written in India," the letter said, noting India's aviation sector alone signed USD 2.45 billion in deals with American firms in 2022.

"The future lies in the hands of those who understand that diplomacy and cooperation are the way forward, not sweeping tariffs," he added. PTI VSD CS SHW