Modi Sends a Quiet but Sharp Message to Trump: India Won’t Blink
US President Donald Trump with PM Narendra Modi Image credit MEA
In his latest monologue on The Raisina Hills, Manish Anand decodes how Modi is showing strength to Washington—using the Bihar mandate, Russia outreach, and resilient trade numbers to counter Trump’s tariff pressure.
By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk
New Delhi, November 21, 2025 — In his latest monologue for The Raisina Hills, Manish Anand says the India–US relationship remains stuck in an “uneasy and inconclusive” phase, with no major breakthrough emerging despite ongoing negotiations. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s assurance that talks continue has not eased the underlying uncertainty, Anand notes, because the real story lies beyond tariffs and trade.
According to Anand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sending a series of calibrated political and geopolitical signals to US President Donald Trump—messages embedded in India’s diplomatic outreach, domestic electoral verdicts and economic resilience.
He highlights India’s renewed warmth with Russia ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s expected December visit to Delhi. Citing External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s meetings in Moscow, Anand says India and Russia appear aligned on advancing a “multipolar world order,” deepening strategic cooperation even as US–India negotiations drag on.
Anand refers to unverified but widely circulated intelligence community claims that India has told Washington it will only consider buying US fighter jets if New Delhi is free to use them against any threat—including Pakistan. If true, he argues, this sets a red line for the Trump administration, which has grown closer to Pakistan’s military leadership and key West Asian governments.
Turning to domestic politics, Anand says Modi has delivered an unmistakable political message to Trump through the Bihar assembly election result. Despite US tariff pressure, the BJP–JD (U) alliance scored a sweeping mandate, with the BJP winning 89 of the 101 seats it contested—a striking 90% strike rate.
“If Trump believed tariffs would politically hurt Modi, Bihar proves otherwise,” Anand says, adding that voters appeared to punish Trump more than Modi. Public anger over Trump’s steep duties on Indian exports, as well as his perceived tilt toward Pakistan, may have strengthened sympathy for Modi, he says.
Anand notes that Modi’s “swadeshi” call from the Red Fort also resonated in the festive season, reflected in record Diwali sales. The latest trade data further undercuts the US tariff pressure: Indian textile exports—where the US remains the biggest market—actually rose, aided by rapid diversification into Europe, East Asia and West Asia.
“Trump’s tariffs have barely dented India’s trade,” Anand says, arguing that exporters simply shifted to alternative markets.
With these signals, Anand concludes, Modi is telling Trump that India will negotiate only as an equal stakeholder, not under pressure. Decisions on trade, tariffs or defence deals, he says, will be driven strictly by India’s national interest—not by American leverage.
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