Congress Rajya Sabha MP P. Chidambaram on Saturday launched a sharp attack on BJP supporters and sections of economic commentators who welcomed the United States’ decision to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Indian goods, arguing that such measures amount to the “weaponisation of tariffs” and should be firmly opposed.

Reacting to the move announced by former US President Donald Trump, Chidambaram said the fresh tariff push reflected desperation after the Supreme Court of the United States invalidated most of Trump’s earlier tariff regime. He said attempts to revive duties through alternative legal routes undermine the principles of a rule-based global trading system.

In a post on X, the senior Congress leader said he was unsurprised by Trump’s efforts to reintroduce tariffs but expressed concern over what he described as indirect justification of the move by commentators sympathetic to the BJP. He argued that tariffs, which had averaged around three per cent earlier, now stand significantly higher and have already disrupted global trade flows while damaging Indian exports to the US.

Chidambaram said the global community had earlier criticised Trump-era tariffs for being coercive in nature and maintained that the latest decision should be viewed through the same lens. According to him, any form of selective or unilateral tariff imposition harms trust between trading partners and weakens multilateral trade norms.

In a separate post, Chidambaram also questioned the claims surrounding the India–US trade understanding after citing Trump’s remarks that Washington would not levy duties on its exports to India while New Delhi would continue to face tariffs in the US market. He asked whether this arrangement matched the assurances of reciprocity highlighted in the joint India–US statement issued earlier this year, and whether it truly represented a diplomatic or economic success for India.

The controversy follows the US Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down key tariff measures imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Shortly after the verdict, Trump signed an order imposing a blanket 10 per cent tariff on imports from all countries, with the White House indicating that India would be subject to the duty until a different legal authority is invoked.

Amid the political exchange, the Indian government struck a cautious note. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it is closely analysing both the court’s judgment and the subsequent steps announced by the US administration to assess their impact on India’s trade interests.