Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Congress Lok Sabha MP & Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, on Thursday condemned the Trump administration’s recent imposition of additional 25% US tariffs on India as “unfair bullying” practise that threatens the country’s $90 billion export market, and emphasised the need for New Delhi to diversify export markets, including strengthening ties with Britain, Africa and Asia.
During a candid interaction with NewsX Editorial Director Priya Sahgal as a keynote speaker at the ‘We Women Want Conclave 2025’, Tharoor offered insights into India-US relations during the Trump administration, his role in delivering India’s message abroad on ‘Operation Sindoor’, his personal reflections on life and career, while also revealing, among other things, what his ‘Word of the Day’ is. Excerpts:
In a seemingly pointed dig at US President Donald Trump’s negotiating style, the MP shared an anecdote, recalling an earlier Larry King interview to describe Trump’s approach as the one that resembles a “schoolyard bully,” whose insults serve as tools of dominance.
Tharoor Blasts the ‘Schoolyard Bully School of Negotiation’
“There is something to be said about the schoolyard bully school of negotiation. Mr. Trump declares the Indian economy dead and ‘I don’t care if it goes down’ and so on. I think it’s really the equivalent of the big school bully telling the smaller kid, ‘Your mother is ugly.’ He may never even have seen his mother, but it’s just the idea is to demean the other guy. Put him down, make him feel small,” Tharoor elaborated, while also suggesting that such rhetoric is meant to demean and destabilise, especially when $90 billion in Indian exports to the US hang in the balance.
Insisting that he didn’t take the words literally, he further told the gathering, “I said to people, you got to take him seriously. He’s the president of a major power, which is a very significant trading partner for us.”
He also suggested diversification of trade as the way forward, with India tapping Britain, African, and Asian markets.
“Britain is an obvious example.. we have a free trade agreement wherein 99% of India’s exports to Britain will be duty-free. So we can we can do well in that market.”
Furthermore, the Parliamentary Committee head made a strong appeal for reciprocal tariffs pegged at 50% if the US doesn’t back down. “I think in all fairness since he (Trump) is the one who has introduced the word reciprocal into the business; we should reciprocate. And if there is 50% on Indian exports to America there should be 50% tariffs in India on American exports to India,” he asserted while stressing “we should not give in to anyone’s bullying whether it’s on the world stage or in private life”.
Operation Sindoor: No Mediation, Only Justice
Tharoor, who led a multi-party delegation advocating for and explaining the ‘Operation Sindoor’ abroad, reinforced that India invoked its right of self-defence, much like the US after 9/11 attack. “The core messaging was that we were victims of terrorism and that we were exercising our right of self-defense, which every country concedes.”
“There is no equivalence between terrorists and the innocent travellers they killed, and because there is no equivalence there is no scope for mediation,” he asserted, while recalling India’s anti-terror message his team delivered on the world stage in the aftermath of the Operation Sindoor.
For the uninitiated, the precision strikes were carried out by the Indian Armed Forces targetting terrorists and terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan to avenge the deaths of 26 civilians killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s tourist haven of Pahalgam earlier this year.
A diplomatic victory, Tharoor noted, was recorded in Colombia, where officials initially mis-characterised the targets, then withdrew the statement after being clarified that only terrorists and their hideouts were targetted during the precision strikes by India on Pakistan. The Indian delegations’ lucid messaging, he said, resonated across countries.
Where Is Shashi Tharoor Headed Next?
When asked about his next move, Tharoor, who is known for his witty retorts, jokingly responded, “I am headed home to pick up my sister.”
Reflecting on how he “grew up in a household of strong women”, the Congress MP, in his own words, had a rather “very simple” way forward: “I just do what they tell me.”
Does The ‘Man of Words’ Have Any Regrets? Tharoor Reflects on Life
An unapologetic Tharoor reflected on life’s regrets and the duality of acceptance and agency as an insight into how an individual can navigate life’s uncertainties with resilience and integrity.
“Anybody who says they do not have any regrets… is either incredibly lucky or lying,” he underlined while also affirming, “I have enough faith in myself,” as he attributed resilience to a life shaped by conscience and purpose.
Drawing references from Hindu philosophy, he articulated a balanced worldview: one that accepts fate’s unpredictability while emphasising personal responsibility.
Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, he said, “Do the right thing and don’t worry too much about what comes out of it.” He likened life’s unexpected turns to accidents on a journey, acknowledging that even so-called misfortunes might be destined.
Tharoor’s ‘Word of the Day’, But With A Twist
Embracing his reputation as a wordsmith, Tharoor shared his ‘word of the day’ (Hindi Edition): ‘Padho‘ (read). Expressing serious concern over what he said has been a notable decline in ‘deep reading’, the Congress MP urged both adults and parents to champion complex engagement with literature, and not just skimming through social media messages or headlines appearing on news feeds.
What Would Tharoor’s Potential Autobiography Title Be? ‘The Man Who Nearly…’
Responding to a question about a title for his potential autobiography, Tharoor quipped, “The Man Who Nearly…”, in a rather candid yet visibly humble reference to the near-misses in his life, be it politically, personally or on other fronts. …”The man who nearly set a record in Thiruvananthapuram constituency, the man who did become the most successful loser in Congress party electoral history…the man who nearly doesn’t seem good enough…”
Does Tharoor Have a Favourite in Bollywood?
In what many see as a politician’s tightrope, Tharoor was then asked to pick a favourite Bollywood performance. And while he did not name anyone in particular, the Congress MP did praise the industry as immensely rich in talent.
“So there is no question of any competition. We have some terrific talent in our country in all the ‘woods’ – Bollywood, Mollywood and Tollywood – and there’s a lot of wonderful talent. What they need is the opportunity to be showcased and often to do work that’s worthy of their talents.”
“In some ways, it’s very often true that we are recognising people because of their commercial success rather than their achievement as performers, as thespians, and as committed actors.”
From ‘Wordsmith’ to ‘Mindthrob of the Nation’
Following an open floor question posed to the audience who were asked to define Tharoor in one word, one attendee rose from the seat to give a rather fitting tribute to the man whose intellect continues to stir minds across the country: “Mindthrob of the nation.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
