Overview

• Shashi Tharoor answered X user ‘Sagarcasm’s’ convoluted mock post with the Hindi question “Bhai, aap kehna kya chahte ho,” a reply that quickly went viral.
• The retort followed Tharoor’s defense of India’s negotiating stance after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described New Delhi as “a bit recalcitrant.”
• President Trump’s recent announcement of tariffs up to 50 percent on Indian imports, including a 25 percent levy on Russian oil from August 27, prompted India’s Ministry of External Affairs to call the measures unjustified and unreasonable.
• A US trade delegation is due in India on August 25 for the sixth round of bilateral talks aimed at concluding the first phase of an agreement by autumn.
• Social media users circulated memes around the exchange and AI chatbot Grok dubbed the original word salad “delightful nonsense,” showcasing the role of humor in political messaging online.