India-US interim trade deal: Congress slams PM Modi over tariff rates

The Congress on Wednesday (February 11) sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US interim trade agreement, arguing that despite his personal rapport with US President Donald Trump, Washington has walked away with the upper hand.

Charge of imbalance

The grand old party alleged that the agreement amounts to a “steal” by the “PM’s good friend in Washington” and reflects what it called an “abject failure” of both political “hugl omacy” and economic diplomacy.

Also Read: White House revises India trade deal fact sheet; drops ‘pulses’ from tariff list

“It is significant that a number of independent analysts and commentators — who have not been Modi-unfriendly — have criticised the India-US trade deal as a capitulation, an asymmetrical set of commitments, a sell-out, and a humiliating cave-in,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.

'More conceded than gained'

“Whatever the spin that the PM and his lie-brigade may give, the hard reality is that the US has extracted more from India than it has conceded. This is inspite of Mr. Modi's aggressive wooing of President Trump, including campaigning for him in September 2019,” he said.

Ramesh also noted that Modi was among the first global leaders to greet Trump after his re-election in February 2025.

Also Read: India-US trade deal talks still ongoing, says White House fact sheet

The Prime Minister’s public display of personal friendship with Trump, Ramesh argued, has not translated into tangible gains for India. “President Trump too has given full expression to his friendship with Modi, but while doing so has dealt India big blows,” he claimed.

“This is an abject failure of our political huglomacy and economic diplomacy. The spin will, of course, continue. But facts are facts. The trade deal is a steal-by the PM’s good friend in Washington who has also claimed close to a hundred times that he halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025,” Ramesh said.

‘Coerced opening’, not calibrated

A day earlier, the Congress described the agreement as a “coerced opening” rather than a “calibrated opening”, contending that India had been “forced to concede” more than it had secured in return.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, “It did not take long for President Trump and his team to puncture the tall claims being made by the PM and his many megaphones on the Indo-US trade deal.” He added that Washington’s reading of the pact diverged sharply from the narrative presented by the Modi government.

Also Read: Trade boost or strategic retreat? India-US deal beyond the rhetoric

“This is not a calibrated opening but a coerced opening. India has been forced to concede more than what it has got. And now our much-touted advantage over Bangladesh in textile exports to the US has vanished with the details of the US-Bangladesh trade deal also having just been announced,” he wrote.

Terms of the interim pact

Last week, India and the US announced a framework for an interim agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. Under the arrangement, the US will reduce its 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent.

Washington has also scrapped the additional 25 per cent tariff imposed on India in August last year over its purchase of Russian crude.

The Congress has maintained that the interim pact is “not a deal but a surrender” of India’s self-respect and interests, calling it a betrayal of the country and its people.

(With agency inputs)