New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday, February 7, criticised the India–United States interim trade agreement, claiming that the joint statement lacks clarity on key details and taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that “all the hugs and photo-ops have not amounted to much”.
The opposition party also mocked the government using the iconic line “Dost dost na raha” from the 1964 Hindi film Sangam.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the India–US joint statement released on Saturday is “silent” on specifics. “However, what has emerged makes one thing clear: India will no longer import oil from Russia,” he said in a post on X.
Ramesh added that the United States has separately announced that a 25 per cent penalty could be reimposed if India purchases Russian oil, either directly or indirectly.
He further alleged that India would slash import duties to benefit American farmers at the expense of Indian farmers. According to Ramesh, India’s annual imports from the United States would triple, eroding the country’s longstanding goods trade surplus.
“There will continue to be significant uncertainty over India’s exports of information technology and other services to the US. India’s exports of goods to the United States will face higher duties than before,” he said.
“All the hugs and photo-ops have not amounted to much. Namaste Trump has scored over Howdy Modi,” Ramesh remarked, adding, “Dost dost na raha.”
Earlier on Saturday, India and the United States announced that they had reached a framework for an interim trade agreement under which both sides will reduce import duties on a range of goods to boost bilateral trade.
Commenting on the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the agreement would strengthen the ‘Make in India’ initiative by opening up new opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs, while also creating employment for women and youngsters.
The Prime Minister thanked United States President Donald Trump for his personal commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries.
“Great news for India and USA! We have agreed on a framework for an Interim Trade Agreement between our two great nations,” Modi said in a post on X.
“It strengthens ‘Make in India’ by opening new opportunities for India’s hardworking farmers, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, startup innovators, fishermen and more. It will generate large-scale employment for women and youngsters,” he added.
Under the interim trade deal, Trump has removed the 25 per cent tariffs, or additional import duties, imposed on India last August over its purchase of Russian oil, citing that New Delhi has taken “significant steps” and committed to stopping the direct or indirect import of oil from Moscow.
The interim pact is expected to open a USD 30 trillion market for Indian exporters, particularly MSMEs, farmers and fishermen, as US duties on Indian goods will be reduced to 18 per cent from 50 per cent earlier.
According to the joint statement, both countries will “promptly” implement the framework and work towards finalising the interim agreement, with the objective of concluding a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement.
India, in turn, will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all United States industrial goods and a wide range of American food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and several additional products.
With PTI inputs