Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that strengthening India’s exports, economy, and growth rate would eliminate the need to depend on other countries, asserting that nations resort to “dadagiri” (bullying) because of their economic strength and technological edge.
Gadkari’s remarks come at a time when the country is facing the highest-ever tariff imposed on any nation.
Speaking at the Annual Prestigious Oration Program in Memory of the late Dr Prof VG Bhidel on Saturday, Gadkari added that if India acquires better technology and resources, the country would focus not on dominance, but on the welfare of the world.
“If our exports increase and the economy and growth rate rise, then I don’t think we will need to go to anyone. Today, those who are doing dadagiri (bullying) are doing so because they are economically well-off; they bully because they have technology. If we get better technology and resources than them, we won’t need to bully anyone, our culture teaches us to work for the welfare of the world,” he said.
Gadkari added IITs and IIMs must focus on solving the country’s specific needs through targeted research to help India become a global leader.
“One of the key priorities today is to reduce the country’s imports while increasing exports, as this is essential for India to emerge as a global leader. Our premier research institutions, such as the IITs and IIMs, should focus on identifying and addressing the nation’s specific needs through targeted research, which is crucial for achieving this goal,”he said.
Gadkari’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump, on August 6, signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, raising the total tariff to 50%, the highest to ever be imposed on any country. The US government justified this move by citing India’s continued import of oil from Russia.
India strongly opposes the tariffs, calling them unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable. India argues that it is being singled out unfairly, pointing out that the European Union itself recorded significant trade with Russia in goods (€67.5 billion in 2024) and services (€17.2 billion in 2023) even after the Ukraine conflict began, yet faces no such penalties.