Modi, however, has begun to push back. He said on Thursday the country was ready to stand by its farmers at any cost, without referring to the tussle with the U.S. on opening up the agricultural and dairy sectors to lower Trump's tariffs.

The Indian prime minister has said his country "is ready" to react to President Donald Trump's additional 25 percent levy on goods entering the U.S.

US President Donald Trump this week announced tariffs totalling a punitive 50 per cent on Indian imports over its trade with Russia, bringing a jarring stop to a period of broadly warming US-India relations.