Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 3 : As the US reduces tariff on the Indian exports to 18 per cent, Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday termed it a major diplomatic achievement for the country.
He said the decision by the US administration to lower tariffs on Made in India goods reflects the strong leadership and effective diplomacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rao congratulated the Prime Minister and the Union ministers, stating that the move would significantly boost India's economy and strengthen bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
"The reduction in tariff on made in India goods by the US administration is a great diplomatic victory. I congratulate PM Modi and other ministers on this. This will boost our economy", N Ramchander Rao told ANI.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "being compromised" and "selling the country" through the India-US trade deal.
Speaking to the reporters outside the parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi is rattled. The (US-India) trade deal, which was stalled for the past few months, was signed by Narendra Modi last night. There is extreme pressure on him. Narendra Modi's image can get damaged. The main thing is that our PM is compromised. The public needs to think about this. For the first time, the LoP was not allowed to speak on the President's speech.
"Narendra Modi has sold your hard work in this trade deal because he is compromised. He has sold the country. Narendra Modi is scared because those who shaped his image are now breaking this image," he added.
When asked why the LoP believes PM Modi was "compromised", Rahul Gandhi cited the alleged case against Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, in the US and the Epstein files.
"There is a case on Adani in the US. It is actually a case on Modi. The Epstein Files contain even more that the US has not yet released. There is pressure due to that as well. These are the two pressure points. The country should understand this," he said.
This comes after India and the US reached a trade agreement that reduced tariffs on Indian exports to 18 per cent from 25 per cent.
However, Congress has demanded the complete details of the India-US trade deal, raising questions over several key aspects, such as claims of the agriculture sector being opened up, calling for the reduction of tariffs to "zero", and a pause on the purchase of Russian oil, as claimed by US President Donald Trump.
Rahul Gandhi's reaction also came after he reinvoked the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane regarding border tensions with China, stating that he has authenticated the magazine article.