Image Source: Agencies

Sept 2, 2025: Mukesh Aghi, president and chief executive officer of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), advised India on Tuesday to "ignore" the remarks made by White House Trade Advisor Peter Navorro and concentrate on the relationship that exists between Washington and New Delhi. Speaking about Navarro's "Brahmin profiteering" remarks, Mukesh Aghi believed that such statement comes more from his "ignorance about India."

"Some rhetoric emanating from the White House, particularly from Peter Navarro, is more based on ignorance regarding India. I think we should learn to ignore these things and continue the momentum in the relationship between the two countries," Mukesh Aghi told agencies.
While arguing in favor of US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on imports from India, Navarro made a crude comment about India on Monday. "You've got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people," Navrro said while criticising New Delhi for purchasing discounted crude oil from Russia.

The USISPF President also suggested that some of Donald Trump's tweets may not have any substance when asked about the US President's assertion that India offered to reduce tariffs to nothing. "There are certain comments that the President makes, and you have to take it with certain weightage or non-weightage to it. It is important to understand that when a tweet comes out or something on Truth Social, some may have substance and some may not. Indians, in my opinion, are mature, and they must carry out their responsibilities for the country's benefit. Mukesh Aghi said.

On Monday, Trump claimed that business relationship between the two countries for many decades has been "totally one sided", "one-sided disaster" and also that "they have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late".

"We do very little business with India, but they do a lot of business with us, which few people understand." To put it another way, they are their largest "client" and sell a lot of goods to us, but we only sell them very little. This has been the case for many decades and is still the case today. "Our businesses are unable to sell into India because India has charged us such high tariffs, the highest of any country," he explained. In July, amid negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, Trump announced 25% tariffs on India. He then said that India would have to pay 25% secondary tariffs on Russian oil that it imports, with 50% tariffs going into effect on August 27.