<h1>Union minister praises national economic gains, criticizes communist-run state stagnation and warns US 25% tariff risks for exporters</h1> A senior union minister lauded the current central government's economic gains under the prime minister and urged nationwide effort to reach the top globally, while criticizing a southern state's stagnation attributable to a communist ideology and urging voters to effect change. The remarks coincided with the United States imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from the country as a penalty for continued purchases of Russian oil, a trade action likely to affect textile, marine and leather exports. Legal implications include exposure to retaliatory trade measures, sectoral economic risk, and routine political speech aimed at influencing state-level electoral outcomes.