India finds out about decisions important to it from White House: Cong's dig on trade deal
With US President Donald Trump announcing that a 'very big' trade deal is on the cards with India, the Congress on Friday took a swipe at the government and said it seems that India gets to know decisions of great importance to it from the White House.
The opposition party's swipe at the government came after President Donald Trump said a 'very big' trade deal is on the cards with India, hinting at significant progress in the negotiation process of a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement between the two countries.
'We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India,' said Trump while speaking at the 'Big Beautiful Bill' event at the White House.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that 'after repeating 16 times' that he used a trade deal as an instrument to bring about a ceasefire between India & Pakistan, Trump has now announced that the India-US trade agreement is going to be signed in the next few days.
'He calls it a 'very big deal.' It better be – given that it led to the abrupt end of Operation Sindoor,' Ramesh said on X.
'As is now becoming evident, India has to get to know decisions of great importance to it from the White House in Washington DC,' the Congress leader said.
Trump's remarks come as an Indian team headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal on Thursday arrived in Washington for the next round of trade talks with the US.
Both countries are engaged in negotiations for an interim trade deal and are trying to finalise the pact before July 9.
The high tariffs announced by the US on April 2 were suspended by the Trump administration till July 9.
The agriculture and dairy sectors are difficult and challenging areas for India to give duty concessions to the US. India has not opened up dairy in any of its free trade pacts signed so far.
The US wants duty concessions on certain industrial goods, automobiles – especially electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, dairy, and agricultural items like apples, tree nuts, and genetically modified crops.
India is seeking duty concessions for labour-intensive sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas in the proposed trade pact.
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