India-US trade deal not on equal terms, alleges Priyanka Chaturvedi

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the interim India-US trade deal, calling it unequal. She alleged that while the US will levy 18% tariffs on Indian goods, India is opening its agricultural market at nearly zero tariffs.

Chaturvedi Criticises 'Uneven' India-US Trade Deal

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday criticised the interim trade framework announced between India and the United States, alleging that the proposed arrangement was not negotiated on equal terms. Speaking to reporters, Chaturvedi said the deal appeared uneven, noting differences in tariffs: the US will cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18%, while India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on US industrial and agricultural products.

"India-US trade deal has not been done on equal terms. President Trump says he has been assured that India will not purchase Russian oil and that India will do a $500 billion trade with the US across many sectors. The joint statement highlights that framework. We are opening our agriculture market at nearly zero tariffs, but our goods being exported to the US will be levied with 18% tariffs," she said.

Clarity Sought on Russian Oil Imports

Earlier in the day, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Ministry of External Affairs would provide clarity on India's purchase of Russian oil. Responding to a question on whether India would stop importing Russian oil, as suggested in a White House statement, Goyal said, "MEA will give information about it."

Following the announcement of the interim framework, the White House had stated that "India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defence cooperation over the next 10 years."

Details of the Interim Agreement

India and the US announced a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade. The joint statement said the framework reaffirms the countries' commitment to the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market-access commitments and support more resilient supply chains. The United States will also remove tariffs on certain aircraft and aircraft parts from India, which were imposed to address national security threats, the joint statement said.

India's Concessions and Purchases

According to the statement, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

India also intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years. (ANI)

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