What will Modi do to protect Tamil Nadu’s industrial belt from US tariffs, asks DMK mouthpiece

“The question has arisen: ‘What is the BJP government going to do to protect Tiruppur and Coimbatore?’ Another question being asked is: ‘Prime Minister Modi does everything for Adani and Ambani — what has he done to protect Tiruppur and Coimbatore?’”

The outcry follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to America — a blow that Murasoli said would fall disproportionately on the export-dependent textile hubs of Coimbatore and Tiruppur.

“In Tiruppur alone, Rs 70,000 crore worth of textile goods are produced annually, of which Rs 12,000 crore worth is exported to America.” “With Trump’s tariff, 5 lakh workers in Tiruppur alone will lose their jobs. About 3,000 factories may shut down. The total loss is estimated at USD 37 billion,” the editorial said.

The paper accused PM Modi of globetrotting while leaving India “isolated” at a moment of crisis. “The Prime Minister keeps traveling the world, but India stands isolated today. No countries have spoken up against the unfair tariffs imposed on India by America. If that is the case, what is the point of his travels — what benefit have they brought the nation,” it asked.

The criticism carried a personal edge. Murasoli said Modi “prepared the ground for Trump’s election victory by inviting him to India and hosting grand ceremonies,” yet now, “the highest tariffs have fallen on India. A 50% tax — no country faces such a rate. Even China, America’s main rival, has not been hit this hard. Is there the courage to block this? No.”

The editorial listed India’s major exports to the United States — textiles, garments, readymade clothing, fish, prawns, gems, gold jewellery, leather, footwear, steel products, aluminium, machinery and machine parts — stressing that Tamil Nadu’s share is “particularly high” in textiles. The implication was clear: Washington’s tariff strike has landed squarely on Tamil Nadu’s economy, even as the BJP seeks political inroads in the state’s western belt.

Industry voices have echoed the alarm. According to Murasoli, hosiery associations meeting in Tiruppur resolved that “thousands of factories will close, and lakhs of workers will lose their jobs” unless the Centre intervenes. Their demands included a special financial package, export subsidies to offset the tariff shock, additional bank loans with guarantees or insurance and concessions on interest rates. They also called for tariffs on imports from Bangladesh, job-loss compensation, and war-footing relief for workers.

Export transport to America “has already fallen sharply in six days, worrying container truck owners,” the editorial said. To salvage business, exporters have begun shipping inner-wear to the US at “throwaway prices”, while some production units focusing solely on American buyers “have shut down entirely”.

The DMK organ accused the Centre of favouring Gujarat’s jewellery exporters, who received enhanced duty drawbacks, while Tamil Nadu’s industries were “ignored”. It demanded that the Prime Minister “immediately announce a special financial package to save Tiruppur’s inner-wear industry affected by America’s tariffs”.

“So what is Modi going to do to protect the western belt,” the editorial asked. “The BJP always targets this region electorally. But will it protect the industries of the western belt, whose votes it seeks?”

Beyond rhetoric, the numbers underline the stakes. Tiruppur’s textile ecosystem sustains hundreds of thousands of families through direct and indirect jobs. Analysts note that a prolonged tariff regime could ripple outward, affecting shipping, logistics and ancillary trades. In the short term, exporters may cut margins to maintain American orders, but the long-term competitiveness of the sector remains in jeopardy.