Breaking News: Trump claims India is cutting trade tariffs; Congress asks, ‘What has Modi government agreed to?….See More

Congress party expressed concerns about whether Indian farmers’ and manufacturers’ interests are being compromised in ongoing trade discussions.

The Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address Parliament regarding US President Donald Trump’s claims that India has agreed to significantly reduce tariffs. The opposition party expressed concerns about whether Indian farmers’ and manufacturers’ interests are being compromised in ongoing trade discussions.

Jairam Ramesh seeks transparency
Congress general secretary for communications, Jairam Ramesh, raised the issue in a post on X, where he questioned the specifics of India’s trade negotiations with the United States. Ramesh also tagged a video of President Trump discussing trade tariffs. Ramesh said, “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.” Both houses of Parliament will meet on Monday as the second part of the budget session resumes.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is in Washington DC to talk trade with the Americans. Meanwhile, President Trump says this…” Ramesh wrote, emphasising the need for transparency.

In the video shared by Ramesh, President Trump is heard stating that India has historically imposed “massive tariffs” on American products, making trade challenging. He claimed that India has now agreed to lower these tariffs significantly due to increasing scrutiny.

“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 clip.

Congress leader Pawan Khera criticised the Modi government, claiming that India’s economy, Make in India, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives would suffer due to trade concessions reportedly made under US pressure.

Khera accused the government of keeping citizens in the dark, alleging that “140 crore Indians are learning about our trade policy from US President Trump.” He questioned whether PM Modi’s close ties with Trump influenced the decision to cut tariffs and whether Union Minister Piyush Goyal, currently in the US for trade negotiations, had succumbed to American pressure.

Drawing comparisons with Mexico and Canada, Khera asked why India failed to negotiate better terms. He warned that increased US tariffs and reciprocal measures could harm India’s economy, impacting MSMEs, weakening the rupee, and widening the trade deficit. He also cautioned that Indian agriculture could suffer due to competitiveness loss and rising non-tariff barriers.

Congress demands answers in Parliament
With Parliament resuming on March 10 for the second part of the budget session, Congress is pressing for clarity on what trade agreements have been made. Ramesh insisted that PM Modi take Parliament into confidence and provide details on any commitments made that could impact domestic industries.

President Trump has consistently pushed for reciprocal tariffs against countries he believes have imposed unfair trade barriers on American products. Since taking office, he has threatened multiple nations with trade restrictions, emphasising a more aggressive approach to global trade negotiations.