Congress questions transparency of India–US trade deal, alleges farm concessions

The Congress party has stepped up its attack on the government over the newly announced India–US trade deal, accusing it of hiding key details and conceding ground on agricultural imports while relying on “spin” to shape the narrative.

The criticism came a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington and New Delhi had agreed on a trade pact, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the deal by saying tariffs on “made in India” products would be reduced to 18 per cent.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday that a joint statement outlining the agreement would be issued by both countries “shortly”, but opposition leaders said the lack of clarity was fuelling concern.

Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said more than a day had passed since Trump’s announcement, yet no official details had been shared publicly.

“Spin doctors are at work, but we still don’t have any details on the deal,” he said in a post on X, adding that it appeared India had agreed to liberalise imports of agricultural products. He also pointed out that no joint statement had yet been released.

Ramesh suggested the announcement had been pushed through at the Indian prime minister’s insistence, hinting at political motivations behind the timing of the deal.

The remarks follow the Congress party’s demand that the Modi government brief Parliament fully on both the US and EU trade agreements. The party has alleged that the prime minister has “surrendered” to US pressure at the expense of Indian farmers.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi echoed those claims, accusing Modi of yielding to Washington to finalise the agreement. In a separate post on X, Gandhi alleged that the prime minister was unwilling to face scrutiny in Parliament on a range of issues, including tariffs.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the accusations. BJP MP Anurag Thakur questioned whether the Congress and other opposition parties were acting in India’s national interest, accusing them of undermining the country’s economic engagement with the United States.

The government has maintained that the trade deal will benefit Indian exporters and strengthen bilateral ties, with officials insisting that full details will be made public once the joint statement is released.

With PTI inputs