Congress voices concern over ‘turbulent times’ in Indo-U.S. relations

The Congress on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) flagged what it described as growing turbulence in India’s relations with the United States, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi being among the first leaders to visit the White House after the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said India-U.S. ties were passing through “very turbulent times”, pointing to recent legislative and political signals from Washington that have caused some discomfort in New Delhi.

Mr. Ramesh drew attention to a Bill being pushed by Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, which seeks to impose wide-ranging sanctions on India over its trade and other engagements with Russia.

He said the proposed legislation directly targeted India’s foreign policy choices and strategic autonomy.

He also referred to an earlier Bill introduced by Senator Bernie Moreno that proposes a 25% tax on American companies making what are termed “outsourcing payments”. 

According to Mr. Ramesh, such a measure could have serious implications for India’s services sector, particularly information technology firms that have a significant presence in the U.S. market.

Adding to what he described as India’s “extreme discomfiture”, Mr. Ramesh noted that President Trump has continued to publicly praise Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

He suggested that these remarks carried political and strategic overtones that New Delhi could not ignore, given the regional context.

“These developments point to a ‘new abnormal’ in the bilateral relationship,” Mr. Ramesh said, arguing that India now faces fresh challenges on a near-daily basis in managing ties with Washington.

He added that conciliatory or “appeasing” public messaging by the Prime Minister was unlikely to be sufficient to address the underlying shifts in U.S. policy and political attitudes towards India.

The comments come amid broader debate within Opposition circles over the trajectory of India-U.S. relations under the Trump administration, with concerns being raised about economic protectionism, geopolitical signalling in South Asia, and pressure on India’s strategic partnerships.