The Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief Parliament on US President Donald Trump’s claims that India has agreed to reduce tariffs significantly.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh questioned whether the interests of Indian farmers and manufacturers were being compromised in ongoing trade negotiations between the two nations.
“Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is in Washington DC to talk trade with the Americans. Meanwhile, President Trump says this…,” Ramesh said in a post on X, sharing a video of Trump making remarks about India’s tariffs.
Trump, while addressing a gathering, reiterated his long-standing claim that India imposes high tariffs on American goods, making it difficult for the US to do business in the country. “India charges us massive tariffs. You can’t even sell anything in India… It is restrictive. We do very little business inside. They’ve agreed. By the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they’ve done,” Trump stated in the video.
Ramesh, in response, demanded that the Modi government clarify what concessions, if any, have been made in trade talks with the US. “What has the Modi Government agreed to? Are the interests of Indian farmers and of Indian manufacturing being compromised? The PM must take Parliament into confidence when it resumes on March 10,” he said.
With the second leg of the Budget Session set to begin on Monday, all eyes are on whether the government will address these concerns and clarify its stance on trade negotiations with the US.
