Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday sought clarity on the details of the India-US trade agreement, saying no joint statement has been issued yet.
Jairam Ramesh in a post took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that New Delhi has “given concessions with regard to liberalizing imports of agricultural products.”
The Congress MP wrote, “36 hours have passed since President Trump said that the India-US trade agreement is being announced at the request of Mr. Modi and is coming into effect with immediate effect. People engaged in publicity are active, but we have not yet received any detailed information about the agreement, although it is clear that India has given concessions to liberalize the import of agricultural products. The joint statement has not even been released. It is very clear that it is Mr. Modi who has announced this. “There are at least three reasons why.”
Apart from him, Congress MP Manish Tewari also alleged and said, “The mathematical arguments given in the social media posts of US President Donald Trump and the White House regarding the so-called India-US trade agreement are absolutely absurd.”
He wrote in one of his posts on
He further wrote, “Have we committed to getting three-fourths of our imports from only one source – the US? This seems to be Donald Trump’s claim? The government must answer!”
It is noteworthy that under the India-US trade agreement, duty on Indian goods has been reduced to 18 percent, which has created a political controversy in the country.
While the central government has described it as a historic and future-defining agreement that will accelerate India’s development pace, opposition parties have raised sharp questions over transparency and its impact on farmers and domestic industries.
Congress has questioned claims of protection to agriculture and dairy production, sought clarification on tariffs reduced from 25 per cent to 18 per cent and expressed concern over US President Donald Trump’s claim that India can reduce tariffs on some US goods to zero and buy US$500 billion worth of energy, technology, agricultural products, coal and many other products from the US. These claims have not yet been confirmed by the central government.
However, according to government sources, India and the US may issue a joint statement on the trade deal this week.
“We are in the stage of finalizing the details of the agreement with the negotiating team. The joint statement on the India-US trade agreement is likely to be released this week,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always supported the agriculture and dairy sectors, protecting their interests, and added that sensitive sectors of India’s economy, especially agriculture and dairy, have been protected in the India-US trade agreement.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, he said that small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the country’s engineering sector and sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods and marine goods will get many opportunities.
The Union Minister said, “Prime Minister Modi has always supported the agriculture and dairy sectors, protected their interests and worked tirelessly to ensure a bright future and ample opportunities for the people of this sector. I am glad that the entire country understands and appreciates this, and this resonates deeply in the hearts of the people. The sensitive aspects of India’s economy, especially the agriculture and dairy sectors, have been kept safe.”
