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'An order from Washington’: How Opposition reacted to India-US joint statement on trade deal
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the deal, calling it “an order” from Washington rather than the result of negotiations.
Opposition leaders on Saturday strongly criticised the BJP-led government after India and the United States announced the framework for an interim trade deal. The agreement sets reciprocal tariffs on Indian exports to the US at 18%.
Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal shared the joint statement on social media, highlighting the potential market access the deal could unlock. He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India had reached a framework for an interim agreement with the US that would “open a $30 trillion market for Indian exporters.”
Track | India-US trade deal live updates
At the same time, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing a 25% “penalty” tariff on Indian goods and reiterating India’s commitment to halt imports of Russian oil “directly or indirectly.”
PM Modi, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar also welcomed the deal
Congress says ‘dost dost na raha’
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticised the framework, saying the joint statement “is silent on details”.
“India will stop importing oil from Russia, while the US may reimpose a 25% penalty if India purchases Russian oil directly or indirectly. India will reduce import duties to benefit American farmers at the cost of Indian farmers,” he said, in his reading of the joint statement, in a post on X.
Ramesh added that “uncertainty remains over India’s IT and service exports to the US."
Referring to reciprocal events held by the two leaders some years ago, the Congress MP said, “All the hugs and photo-ops have not amounted to much. Namaste Trump has scored over Howdy Modi.” He further added, “dost dost na raha (Friend is no longer a friend)"
‘Trump dictating everything’
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat told news agency ANI, "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."
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj also criticised the deal, saying, "Even politically weak governments did not surrender the country to the US. Is US President Trump going to run India the way he is running Venezuela?"
Calls for detailed parliamentary scrutiny
Congress leader Udit Raj urged Parliament to hold a clause-by-clause debate on the interim trade agreement, citing serious economic concerns. He said Indian farmers “will not be able to compete with the quality and price of US products,” and warned that certain provisions, including the ban on Russian oil imports, could force India into costlier energy deals.
“India’s refineries are calibrated for Gulf and Russian crude. Importing oil from distant sources doesn’t make sense due to higher transportation costs,” he told ANI.
Also from the Congress, Manish Tewari, Lok Sabha member and former minster, raised questions over agricultural and industrial market access under the agreement.
Quoting the joint statement, he highlighted India’s commitment to reduce tariffs on US industrial goods and a wide range of agricultural products, including red sorghum, soybean oil, wine, spirits, tree nuts, and dried distillers’ grains (DDGs).
Tewari questioned whether the wording implied India had fully opened its markets “without any let or hindrance”; and called for a “full-fledged discussion in Parliament” to clarify the terms.
‘An order’
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the deal, calling it “an order” from Washington rather than the result of negotiations. She pointed out that the framework mirrors Trump’s earlier statements on Truth Social, reported ANI.
Quoting the joint statement, Chaturvedi noted provisions under which India would reduce tariffs on US food and agricultural products, while the US would set an 18% tariff on Indian goods.
