Congress MP Shashi Tharoor questioned the India-US trade deal on Tuesday, flagging the lack of clarity from the government and urging New Delhi to place the full details of the agreement before Parliament.
The comments came after months of uncertainty, India and the United States announced what both sides are calling a breakthrough trade agreement, following a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Reacting to the announcement, Shashi Tharoor said there was a “need for clarity”, noting that the government had not shared any concrete details of the agreement with Parliament or the public.
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Tharoor pointed out that, so far, the information available was limited to “President Trump’s tweets and press statements, with no details”. He said claims that India would purchase $500 billion worth of US goods and open its markets to American agricultural products raised “serious questions”, particularly because of the potential impact on Indian farmers.
‘BJP is not providing answers’
While acknowledging that a trade agreement was important, Tharoor cautioned against premature celebration. “Reduced tariffs are better than higher ones,” he said, adding that “we cannot celebrate without understanding the terms”.
{{/usCountry}}While acknowledging that a trade agreement was important, Tharoor cautioned against premature celebration. “Reduced tariffs are better than higher ones,” he said, adding that “we cannot celebrate without understanding the terms”.
{{/usCountry}}He stressed that the government must “take Parliament into confidence and clearly explain what has been agreed to”, arguing that the absence of official clarification was at the heart of the controversy. “Right now, there is concern because there is no clarity—the Congress is asking questions, and the BJP is not providing answers,” Tharoor said, calling this “the core issue”.
Trump announces tariff cuts
In his announcement, Trump said the United States would immediately reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent. He also claimed that India had agreed to cut tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero, commit to purchasing more than $500 billion worth of American energy, technology, agricultural and other products.
Trump further claimed that New Delhi will completely halt purchases of Russian oil in favour of supplies from the US and potentially Venezuela.
Indian government statements issued after the announcement confirmed the tariff reduction and welcomed the agreement, but stopped short of endorsing several of the broader claims made by Trump.
While New Delhi acknowledged the tariff cuts, it did not confirm commitments related to zero tariffs on US goods, the $500 billion purchase figure, or any shift away from Russian oil imports.
Prime Minister Modi described the agreement as a “wonderful announcement” and said it would strengthen cooperation between India and the United States.