NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “meekly bow” to US President Donald Trump, as New Delhi weighs its interests amid ongoing trade talks with Washington.Gandhi’s remark was a reaction to Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal’s statement, where he said: “We are not working towards any specific deadlines, we are working towards national interest”. Trump has set July 9 as the deadline for trade agreements.“Piyush Goyal can beat his chest all he wants, mark my words, Modi will meekly bow to the Trump tariff deadline,” Gandhi wrote on X.
The Congerss leader’s post on X
The minister hit back at the Congress leader, saying: “This is not the India under UPA rule, which would beg for negotiations not under national interest… Nobody takes Rahul Gandhi seriously anymore because of the negativity he, his colleagues, and his party consistently spread.”“They have lost the confidence of the people of India, who have time and again rejected the Congress. Till today, they have not been able to come up with any positive agenda for the development of the nation,” Goyal told the news agency ANI.He said India negotiates with a position of strength and we are “self-confident and can compete with anyone in the world”.“India does not negotiate under deadlines, we negotiate keeping national interests in mind. National interest is paramount in all our work across the world… Today India negotiates with a position of strength, we are self-confident and can compete with anyone in the world,” he said.India will enter into a trade agreement with the US only if its interests are protected and it is able to sustain a tariff advantage over its competitors, while prioritising the interests of farmers, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Friday.Trump had imposed reciprocal tariffs on nearly 100 countries but agreed to a 90-day pause that is to end Tuesday. India was slapped with 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs. There is uncertainty over whether India and US can agree to an early tranche or a mini deal before that even as a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement is negotiated by Fall (Sept-Oct) after a meeting between Trump and PM Modi. For India, lowering tariffs on farm products, such as maize and soybean, as well as dairy products is a concern.While Goyal did not get into the specifics, he said India will not compromise the interests of farm and dairy sectors. “Farmers’ interest is always paramount for Modi government. In any negotiation we have done, you have seen UK, Australia, Mauritius, EFTA and UAE agreements, India’s farmers have been protected.” The government has refrained from offering concessions in major agricultural products, but for US, it is the main focus. While some government officials said US demands were not very clear, for India, Goyal said Indian expectations for duty concessions in labour-intensive sectors were the focus of the trade deal. India was hoping for duty concessions in leather, footwear, textiles and some auto parts in return for reducing levies on automobiles and American whiskey.
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