Parliament, people have right to know: Kharge seeks discussion on Inda-US trade deal

New Delhi:Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday raised concerns over the alleged lack of clarity surrounding the India-US trade agreement and asserted that both Parliament and the country’s 140 crore citizens have the right to be informed about its details.

India and the United States finalised the trade pact on Monday following a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, US tariffs on Indian goods were reduced to 18 per cent, while India agreed to relax certain trade barriers on American imports.

In a post on X, Kharge said, “India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership driven by shared values since several years now. The Indo-US Nuclear Deal signed under Former PM, Dr Manmohan Singh, was a prime example of our commitment to mutual progress.”

Highlighting the previous Congress-led government’s approach, he stated, “The Congress-UPA Govt was transparent in its approach in regularly taking the Parliament into confidence while inking the various agreements of the landmark deal. Contrast this with the present scenario, where the nation does not know any aspect of the Trade Deal, announced by President Trump.”

Kharge further claimed that Prime Minister Modi’s social media post focused only on “thanking” the US President over tariff reductions and did not disclose the specifics of the trade agreement.

He also criticised the government for discussing the agreement outside Parliament while the House is in session.

“The Parliament is in session, but the Modi Govt used an outside platform to talk about the deal, without divulging any details,” Kharge remarked, while posing what he described as “three key questions” that “remain unanswered”.

“Has India compromised in any manner under US pressure? Have we agreed to ZERO tariffs on American imports, as claimed by Mr Trump? Would our farmers be secure? Have we, fully or partially opened up our agricultural sectors for the US Agri market? Would India stop buying oil from Russia? What has India conveyed to Russia in this regard?” he asked.

“Parliament and 140 Cr people of India have the right to know,” Kharge added.

The agreement has triggered criticism from Opposition parties, which have described the deal as disproportionately favouring the United States and not serving India’s broader economic interests.

IANS