‘India won’t prostrate before Trump’: Ex-foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal rebukes Raghuram Rajan over Modi–Trump remark
Sibal argued that India, under Modi, has maintained dignity and stood firm against unfair trade terms, unlike other nations that succumbed to Trump’s pressure.
- Nov 10, 2025,
- Updated Nov 10, 2025 5:41 PM IST
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Sunday hit out at former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, calling his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relationship with former US President Donald Trump a “cheap political blow.”
Sibal’s sharp criticism came in response to Rajan’s recent comments suggesting that Modi’s personal equation with Trump did not translate into meaningful gains for India, especially on trade and foreign policy fronts.
Without naming Rajan directly, Sibal wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Why attempt such a cheap political blow? It is unworthy of the person resorting to it. Trump’s tariff spree has nothing to do with friendship. It is based on obsessive self-interest. Trump has not spared his close allies, leave aside his ‘friends’. He has imposed unilateral tariffs on them and extracted one-sided concessions. He has even humiliated them.”
Sibal argued that India, under Modi, has maintained dignity and stood firm against unfair trade terms, unlike other nations that succumbed to Trump’s pressure.
“India under Modi has stood firm, kept its dignity, has insisted on a fair and balanced trade deal. What is the relevance of Pakistan here except to play shabby politics again? Trump is piqued because we refuse to be equated with Pakistan.”
In a series of rhetorical questions, the veteran diplomat also questioned whether Rajan was implying that India should act subserviently towards the US, the way Pakistan has in the past.
“Is the ex-governor arguing that India should prostrate itself before Trump as Pakistan has? Thank him for the ceasefire and nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize?”
He added that friendship with the US should not mean compromising national interests. “Is the ex-governor arguing that India should open up its agriculture and dairy sectors, accept GMO crops, and accept dictates on our energy policies in the name of friendship with Trump? Even friends should treat each other with respect.”
What exactly did Raghuram Rajan say?
Speaking at a conversation hosted by Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Rajan said, “I think India was getting closer to the United States over the last 20 years and it is very disappointed. I'm not talking about leadership, I'm talking about people who get hit with this tariff. I don’t mean to rub salt in the wound – at the same time Pakistan has a tariff rate of 19 per cent, India has 50 per cent. Where is the friendship between Modi and Trump that was extolled? It's a slap in the face for Modi because the Indian opposition is asking him ‘where's your friendship?’”
He added that India cannot be the most tariffed country globally, even more than China, and then have the US talk about "military friendship and alignments and joint manoeuvres and so on". He added that the QUAD relationships and joint military exercises happen but the tariffs had the effect of disappointing India.
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Sunday hit out at former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, calling his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relationship with former US President Donald Trump a “cheap political blow.”
Sibal’s sharp criticism came in response to Rajan’s recent comments suggesting that Modi’s personal equation with Trump did not translate into meaningful gains for India, especially on trade and foreign policy fronts.
Without naming Rajan directly, Sibal wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Why attempt such a cheap political blow? It is unworthy of the person resorting to it. Trump’s tariff spree has nothing to do with friendship. It is based on obsessive self-interest. Trump has not spared his close allies, leave aside his ‘friends’. He has imposed unilateral tariffs on them and extracted one-sided concessions. He has even humiliated them.”
Sibal argued that India, under Modi, has maintained dignity and stood firm against unfair trade terms, unlike other nations that succumbed to Trump’s pressure.
“India under Modi has stood firm, kept its dignity, has insisted on a fair and balanced trade deal. What is the relevance of Pakistan here except to play shabby politics again? Trump is piqued because we refuse to be equated with Pakistan.”
In a series of rhetorical questions, the veteran diplomat also questioned whether Rajan was implying that India should act subserviently towards the US, the way Pakistan has in the past.
“Is the ex-governor arguing that India should prostrate itself before Trump as Pakistan has? Thank him for the ceasefire and nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize?”
He added that friendship with the US should not mean compromising national interests. “Is the ex-governor arguing that India should open up its agriculture and dairy sectors, accept GMO crops, and accept dictates on our energy policies in the name of friendship with Trump? Even friends should treat each other with respect.”
What exactly did Raghuram Rajan say?
Speaking at a conversation hosted by Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Rajan said, “I think India was getting closer to the United States over the last 20 years and it is very disappointed. I'm not talking about leadership, I'm talking about people who get hit with this tariff. I don’t mean to rub salt in the wound – at the same time Pakistan has a tariff rate of 19 per cent, India has 50 per cent. Where is the friendship between Modi and Trump that was extolled? It's a slap in the face for Modi because the Indian opposition is asking him ‘where's your friendship?’”
He added that India cannot be the most tariffed country globally, even more than China, and then have the US talk about "military friendship and alignments and joint manoeuvres and so on". He added that the QUAD relationships and joint military exercises happen but the tariffs had the effect of disappointing India.