New Delhi [India], February 7 : Chairman of Congress' Media and Publicity Department, Pawan Khera, on Saturday called the framework of the India-US trade deal a "humiliating failure", alleging that under pressure, India has decided to open up the agricultural market and halt the import of Russian oil.
While the India-US joint statement mentioned USD 500 billion in imports for India, Khera raised concern over the expected widening of the trade deficit.
In an X post, Khera said, "A famous dialogue from the film Deewaar is - 'Main aaj bhi phenke huye paise nahi uthata' (Even today, I don't pick up the money that's been thrown at me). The tragedy is that the Modi government does pick it up. Tariffs that were once 3 per cent have now been hiked to 18 per cent, and celebrations are underway with sweets being distributed. This is a humiliating failure, being sold to the Indian public as an achievement."
"Under American pressure, India has opened up its agricultural market, crushing the interests of Indian farmers while benefiting American ones. Under pressure from the US, India has also halted oil imports from Russia and will now buy American oil; this too is a decision taken at the behest of the White House," he added.
The Congress leader said that the rise in US imports will further weaken the rupee against the dollar.
"Reports indicate that the India-US trade framework compels India to ramp up imports from the US from 40-42 billion dollars annually to 500 billion dollars within five years, with no reciprocal commitment from the American side. This risks a rapid widening of the trade deficit with the US and a massive spike in India's overall import bill. If India ends up having to buy essential goods from other countries while meeting the mandated targets from the US, total imports will see a serious surge. The rupee is already weak, and higher imports in dollars will weaken it further," Khera said.
Alleging a conspiracy behind the trade deal framework, the Congress leader wrote, "The government probably thinks that if people can drown their sorrows in alcohol and wash them away with imported American wine and spirits, the sting of this deal will hurt a little less. Calling this a win is like applauding the thief who's just walked in through the front door. Under what pressure did the government kneel before American interests and sell off India's soul to the US? Is it Epstein, is it Adani, or is it something even more conspiratorial?"
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also slammed the Centre, claiming that US President Donald Trump is dictating the terms of the agreement
Bhagat said, "This is not a trade deal, it is a grave deal... They talk about 'Make in India', but they have done 'Sale in India'. Trump is dictating everything, and PM Modi is reading the script. This is not a master stroke. It is a major mistake."
This comes after India and the US announced a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. The joint statement said that the framework reaffirms the countries' commitment to the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market access commitments and support more resilient supply chains.
As per the joint statement, the US will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent on Indian originating goods, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery.
The United States will also remove tariffs on certain aircraft and aircraft parts from India, which were imposed to address national security threats, the joint statement said.
According to the statement, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
India also intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.