The government on Thursday continued to hold its cards close to its chest despite US President Donald Trump picking on India by billing its economy a dead one and suggesting that Pakistani oil might be sold to New Delhi in future courtesy a US-Pakistan partnership.

The official statement made by commerce minister Piyush Goyal in both Houses of Parliament focused mainly on Trump’s earlier announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on India and a penalty for buying oil and military hardware from Russia.

The government maintained a studied silence, projecting an unwillingness to be provoked by Trump’s bid to play hardball.

There was no direct response even to the unkindest cut of calling the Indian economy “dead”. The only evidence that it had riled the BJP came from the party’s IT cell head, Amit Malviya, who slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for endorsing Trump’s “dead economy” comment about India.

Malviya posted on X: “Rahul Gandhi has hit a new low by echoing the ‘dead economy’ jibe — a shameful insult to the aspirations, achievements and well-being of the Indian people…. Rahul Gandhi’s constant attempts to belittle India’s economic rise are not mere political jabs — they’re direct insults to the 140 crore Indians working hard to build a better future…."

Malviya’s post added: “Why does he (Rahul) repeat foreign propaganda that undermines India?”

Malviya did not mention Trump by name while responding to Rahul’s posts on X.

“THE INDIAN ECONOMY IS DEAD. Modi killed it,” the leader of the Opposition had said, citing six debilitating factors — the “Adani-Modi partnership, demonetisation and a flawed GST, failed ‘Assemble in India’, MSMEs wiped out and farmers crushed”.

“Modi has destroyed the future of India’s youth because there are no jobs,” Rahul wrote.

Earlier, asked about Trump’s remarks on India’s economy, Rahul had said outside Parliament: “He is right.... Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the finance minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact.”

He asked reporters: “It is a dead economy, are you people not aware of it?”

The Congress leader alleged that the BJP had destroyed the Indian economy to help billionaire Gautam Adani.

“The external affairs minister gives a speech in which he says we have a genius foreign policy. On one hand, the US is abusing you and on the other hand China is after you. And thirdly, when you send delegations across the globe, no country condemns Pakistan. How are they running the country? They don’t know how to run the country,” Rahul said, asserting that there was “total confusion”.

The Congress’s INDIA ally, the Shiv Sena (UBT), appeared to differ. MP Priyanka Chaturvedi posted on social media: “India has economic challenges, yes. India has to work on its per capita income, yes. India has to address its wealth inequalities, yes. India has to address farmers’ and businesses’ concerns, yes. India has to address the unemployment challenge, yes. But economic challenges do not equate to a dead economy. Clearly a ‘trump’ed up’ statement to close a deal.”

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose cited the proclaimed friendship between Modi and Trump to state: “India is a ‘dead economy’ like Russia, says @realDonaldTrump. ‘My friend Doland’ is insulting @narendramodi without pause. How is GOI meekly tolerating this verbal attack? A fitting response needed from @narendramodi and GOI.”

She commented on the oil deal the US had signed with Pakistan and again took a swipe at the “friendship” that had seen the Prime Minister mouth the slogan “Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar” in 2019 ahead of the 2020 US presidential elections, prompting Trump’s team to project it as an endorsement of his candidature by the Indian Premier.

“US signs oil deal with Pakistan and @realDonaldTrump mocks: ‘Who knows Pakistan may be selling oil to India one day.’ Howdy Modi, Namaste Trump, ‘my friend Doland’ being exposed on a daily basis. Awaiting response from @narendramodi Ji,” Ghose posted on X.

CPM general secretary M.A. Baby took umbrage to Trump behaving “as if he is the President of not just the US, but the entire world”.

Urging the government to stand up to the US President, Baby said: “He cannot dictate to India whom to befriend and the terms of our foreign relations. India must stand firm against his threat to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods and safeguard the interests of our people. Indians expectGoI to assert its sovereignty and stand firm against US bullying tactics.”