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'T in WTO stands for trade, not Trump': Congress to PM Modi on reciprocal tariffs
Trump has said his administration will "soon" impose reciprocal tariffs on India and China, reiterating what he had said during Modi's recent visit to the US.
The Congress on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi five questions on US President Donald Trump’s plans of ‘reciprocal tariffs’, while asserting that he should "summon the courage" to remind his "good friend that the T in WTO stands for Trade not Trump".
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that reciprocal tariffs are a complete negation of all accepted principles of international trade. The remarks come after US President Donald Trump rolled out his plan to increase US tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike.
"Reciprocal tariffs are a complete negation of all accepted principles of international trade. Mr. Modi should summon the courage to remind his good friend that the T in WTO stands for Trade not Trump," Ramesh said in an X post.
Trump has said his administration will "soon" impose reciprocal tariffs on countries such as India and China, reiterating what he had said during Modi's recent visit to the US capital.
Congress’ five questions to PM Narendra Modi on reciprocal tariff plans
In addition to asking PM Narendra Modi to ‘summon courage’ and stand up to Donald Trump, Congress also posted five questions to him on his plans to tackle the situation if the US President goes ahead with the stated action on ‘reciprocal tariffs'.
In a post on X, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera asked how the union government plans to protect the interests of domestic farmers’, who make up 45.76 percent of the workforce, in light of potential increased imports from the US.
He also asked if the government would now consider changes in policies, particularly the legalisation of MSP, to provide basic income support to Indian farmers.
“What assurances will the Indian government secure to prevent India from becoming a dumping ground for cheap US agricultural imports?" Khera further asked.
The Congress leader also wanted to know the impact of reciprocal tariffs on India’s GDP.
“How does the government plan to safeguard the MSME sector, whose production will be severely impacted by costly exports and increased competition from foreign products, Khera wrote in his post.
