NEW DELHI: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears “scared of the US,” while slamming the government over the imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports by the United States.Speaking to reporters, Owaisi questioned: “US’ Peter Navarro is making statements. Had the same statements been made on the PM by an Opposition leader in the country, the BJP would have attacked him. Why are they silent?…Why are you so scared of the US?”

He called the move a “major loss” to the country’s trade, warning that sectors like motor parts, jewellery, gems, and readymade garments could face estimated losses of around Rs 60,000 crore.The AIMIM chief also pointed out that the tariff issue surfaced after Modi’s bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in February, and accused the government of remaining silent while failing to defend India’s exporters. Owaisi added that opposition leaders would have faced strong criticism from the BJP for making similar remarks.“The 50% tariff will cause a major loss to India’s exporters…I think the Narendra Modi Government will have to answer to the people of the country…Modi Govt will have to answer what they are going to do for those who are going to suffer losses,” Owaisi said.Owaisi also referred to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who sparked controversy by calling the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war.” In a Bloomberg interview, Navarro claimed that India’s purchases of discounted Russian oil were “fuelling Russia’s war machine” and effectively making American taxpayers bear the cost. Owaisi criticised the government for not responding publicly to Navarro’s remarks.The senior leader also highlighted that India made a major mistake when Trump, during his first term, asked the country to stop buying oil from Iran. Owaisi said that if PM Modi had shown defiance or stood up to him then, the current situation with US tariffs might have been avoided.“Iran was selling us good quality oil at a reasonable price. We blinked there so they could see that they can scare us. That was the first mistake we made,” Owaisi said.He added that BJP spokespersons should tell the country what is happening instead of taunting the Opposition.