The Congress, on Saturday, claimed that the Indo-US trade pact is not a deal but a surrender of the country’s self-esteem and interests.
India and the US announced on Saturday that they have reached a framework for an interim trade agreement, under which both sides will reduce import duties on a number of goods to boost two-way trade.
After Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India has not given any duty concessions on any dairy product and said several Indian goods, including agricultural products, will attract zero reciprocal tariff in the US, the Congress launched an offensive, alleging that the BJP-led government betrayed India and its people.
The Congress’ media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said India will soon become a dumping ground for American products that will hurt the interests of farmers and small and medium industries in the country.
“This deal is a betrayal of all that India stands for and all that India stood for over the last 75 years. This is not a deal that is in our interest. This is a total surrender by none other than Narendra,” news agency PTI quoted the Congress leader as saying.
India has been made into a dumping ground by this deal, he said, adding, "I do not want to call it a deal, as a deal is among equals, and you sit across the table and negotiate. A deal cannot be made with a gun held to your head.... It is blackmail, it is a surrender.”
Khera said this is not a pact with the US, but a “compromise with our self-esteem and the interests of our farmers and MSMEs and the middle class”.
According to the Congress leader, “With this deal, the back of farmers would be broken further, and the coming days will prove how farming in the country would be destroyed due to this deal.”
“The entire country, the government is functioning in accordance with the American time zone, and there cannot be anything more regrettable than this. A deal is between two partners sitting across the table and not due to blackmail.
“That is called surrender. The name is Narendra, the work is surrender. This deal has once again proved this,” Khera said, alleging that Modi has “surrendered” before the US.
Khera alleged that this is not the first time that Modi has been seen “surrendering” India’s interests before other countries.
“You have seen Narendra Modi giving clean chits to China. Now, we have gone and announced that we will buy products worth USD 500 billion over the next five years from the US. There is no corresponding commitment from the US. Your import bill with the US, from $40–42 billion a year, will have to go up to $100 billion a year.
“You know about the health of the rupee and the health of the economy. Where are you getting the money from, and what are the products you will buy? Mr Piyush Goyal read out from the list of products that we will not buy. But he, very conveniently and cleverly, hid the list of what all will come and what all will be dumped,” the Congress leader said.
Why does it feel today that the interests of the common people of India are undermined before the interests of Narendra Modi and his two friends, Ambani and Adani, the Congress leader sought to know.
