Congress Slams Indo-US Trade Pact As 'Surrender' Of India's Interests And Farmers

The Congress party criticised the Indo-US trade pact on Saturday as a "surrender" of India's self-esteem and economic interests, labelling it a betrayal that could harm farmers and small businesses.

Addressing a press conference, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said India will soon become a dumping ground for American products that will hurt the interests of the farmers and small and medium industries here.

"This deal is a betrayal to all that India stands for and all that India stood for over the last 75 years. This is not a deal which is in our interest. This is a total surrender by none other than Narender," Khera said.

"India has been made into a dumping ground by this deal. I do not want to call it a deal, as a deal is amongst equals and you sit across the table and negotiate. A deal cannot be with a gun held on your head.... It is blackmail, it is a surrender," he said.

According to PTI, the opposition party's attack followed Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's announcement that India has not given any duty concessions on any dairy product and claimed that several Indian goods, including agricultural products, will attract zero reciprocal tariff in the United States.

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 the two-way trade.

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".

Noting that India has become a dumping ground for the US and it has happened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, he said, "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."

Taking a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, Khera said it now works according to the US time, alleging that all decisions, whether about announcing a ceasefire of military conflicts or a trade deal, are taken in the US.

He said the trade deal was signed between India and the US without Goyal even travelling abroad.

"The entire country, the government is functioning in accordance with the American timezone 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 Narender, the work is surrender. This deal has once again proved this," Khera said, alleging that Modi has "surrendered" before the US.

He said the Congress does not feel good when the prime minister "surrenders" before any other country, as "it is unfortunate".

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 USD 40-42 billion a year, will have to go up to USD 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.

He claimed that earlier, India used to hold talks with the US and other countries looking them in the eye.

PTI reported that according to the deal, while Washington will reduce the tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the present 50 per cent, India will eliminate or cut down import duties on all US 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.

According to a joint statement, India has expressed its intention to purchase US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products and coking coal worth USD 500 billion over the next five years.

Reported PTI, Goyal said the interim pact will open a USD 30 trillion market for Indian exporters, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), farmers and fishermen, as the US duties on Indian goods will come down to 18 per cent.

(With inputs from PTI)