New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- In the recent past, thanks to Trump's tariffs, Indian politicians have raised the tempo against the US president and America. Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that he would not allow the nation's farmers and fishermen to die because of lower duties on imports of American agricultural products. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's outcry about "sab ka boss" went viral. Nitin Gadkari, the highways minister, accelerated the pitch with the "dadagiri" quote, and hinted that Trump was flexing muscles because the US had technology backed by a strong economy.

While economic slogans have been popular for decades, from Nehru's times, there is politics behind them. The first is that most citizens do not understand the jargon. ...