‘Every Indian State is Feeling The Pinch of Trump Tariffs, Only Bihar is Unbothered’
Abhishek Anand, a journalist and influencer based in Delhi-NCR, says Bihar will remain untouched by US tariffs becuase you cannot uproot what was never planted. His views
When America raised tariffs by 50%, the news sent shockwaves through India’s big cities. In Tirupur, the textile hub of Tamil Nadu, workers who stitch clothes for the US are worried if anyone will buy their products now. Imagine lakhs of families depending on those exports, suddenly staring at unemployment.
Noida and Greater Noida are also anxious. Some factories there once stitched costumes even for Hollywood shows like Game of Thrones. Today, those very workers wonder if they’ll still have jobs tomorrow.
In Surat, the diamond workers are restless. They spend hours polishing stones that glitter in America, but now those diamonds may never leave Indian shores. What will happen to the artisans who rely on each stone they cut?
Pharmaceutical workers in Gujarat and Chandigarh too are biting their nails. India supplies huge quantities of medicines to the US. If tariffs stay, factories may close, and lakhs could lose their jobs.
Across India’s industrial belts, there is fear. But Bihar? Bihar is strangely calm. Why? Because there are no such industries there to be impacted. No textiles, no diamond markets, no pharma hubs. Bihar has been kept away from all of this for decades.
And that’s the paradox. When the rest of India shakes, Bihar stands still—not because it is strong, but because it was never part of that game. Like America’s “Wild Wild West,” Bihar is India’s “Wild Wild East,” untouched by global trade wars simply because it has nothing to lose.
But let’s not forget: Bihar once had coal mines that powered India. Then came the Freight Equalization Policy, and the coal was sent to factories elsewhere. Jobs bloomed there, not here. Bihar’s people gave up their resources, and today they travel to those same states as migrant workers.
What has Bihar received in the name of development? Trains. Out of nine proposed Amrit Bharat Express trains, eight are for Bihar. Not industries, not factories, but trains—to carry its young men and women out to work in other states. Non-AC trains, branded “world-class,” because for Bihar, the government seems to think, this is enough.
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And yet, in a strange way, there is an advantage. Trump’s tariffs may ruin jobs in Surat, Tirupur, and Noida. But Bihar? It doesn’t bend, because there is nothing here to break. And when those workers return home, the trains are waiting to bring them back.
This message spreads fast on WhatsApp. It makes people smile, even proud “Ek Bihari Sau Par Bhari.” Migrants chant it in Mumbai, in Bengaluru, everywhere they are mistreated but still hold on to their identity.
It’s bittersweet pride. Because the truth is—by voting along caste lines, by settling for trains instead of factories, by accepting migration as destiny, people have shaped Bihar’s fate this way.
Still, one thing is certain. However high Trump raises his tariffs, Bihar will remain untouched. You cannot uproot what was never planted.
So, when Chhath festival comes, board one of those “world-class” trains and head home. When Holi arrives, do the same. Celebrate, sing, and stand tall in your pride. After all, Bihar has survived without industries for decades, and perhaps that itself is its resilience.
Trump may shake the world, but Bihar? Bihar will remain unshaken.
As told to Deepti Sharma
