'Global powers will always bully us unless...': Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal on Trump's 25% tariff against India

After US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent tariff on India due to Russian oil imports, Eternal (previously Zomato) founder Deepinder Goyal said in his post that the world reminds India of its place every few years.

The Eternal founder, who was also spotted on Shark Tank India as a judge, said that global powers would continue to bully India unless 1.4 billion Indians take their destiny into their own hands. 

He added that Indians should continue to work towards becoming the "world's largest unapologetic superpower in the world". 

Read Deepinder Goyal's take here

India's business leaders condemn Trump tariffs

Goyal, however, is not the first Indian business biggie to weigh in on Trump's 25 per cent tariffs on India. Film producer and UpGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala said that even if better sense prevails, India should read the writing on the wall that the US has never been a friend and is just a fair-weather country.

He added that no country 'becomes great' in isolation and that is the lesson that US needs to learn. Screwvala further said that India should send a 'thank you' note to Washington DC for accelerating its Viksit Bharat plans.

Accusing the US of economic coercion, industrialist Harsh Goenka said India will not be bullied over its energy choices. 

“You can tariff our exports, but not our sovereignty. We choose energy security over pressure, and discounts over your diktats. Raise your tariffs—we’ll raise our resolve, find better alternatives, and build self-reliance. India bows to none," he wrote on X. 

Mahindra Group boss Anand Mahindra urged India to respond with bold reforms instead of retaliation. He proposed two urgent reforms that could help India convert crisis into opportunity — radically improve the ease of doing business and unleash the power of tourism as a foreign exchange engine. 

He also called for liquidity support for MSMEs, faster infrastructure rollout, deeper manufacturing push through expanded PLI schemes, and import duty rationalisation to boost global competitiveness. 

“The unintended consequences we create,” Mahindra said at the end of his post on X, “should be the most intentional and transformative ones of all.”