India’s prime minister has made a big effort to build closer ties using his rapport with the U.S. president, but critics say he is getting little in return.

Indian opposition parties criticised the government on Thursday, describing U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of a 25% tariff as a diplomatic failure for New Delhi, while the rupee currency tumbled and equity indexes slid in response to the news.

Trump's actions hit directly at the pillars propping up Modi's domestic political strength in ways visible and hard to immediately fix.