Negotiating from strength: Goyal on trade deal with US

With the Congress criticising the BJP-led NDA authorities implicit the projected commercialized woody with the US, Union Minister Piyush Goyal connected Saturday said India “negotiates from a presumption of spot and doesn’t run nether outer deadlines”.

He besides accused the Congress of having “negotiated and signed agreements that were not successful the nationalist interests” during the UPA government’s tenure.

The remarks came aft Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Narendra Modi implicit the Indo-US commercialized deal, alleging that the PM would “meekly bow” to the tariff deadline acceptable by the Trump administration.

“India doesn’t negociate nether deadlines. We negociate keeping nationalist involvement successful caput and nationalist interests are paramount successful each our engagements crossed the world,” Goyal, the Commerce and Industry Minister, said successful Bengaluru.

“After the Modi authorities came to power, we person signed escaped commercialized agreements with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia and the four-nation EFTA (European Free Trade Association) grouping — Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein —and present with the UK past month.” He said India continued to prosecute with different developed nations, including the EU bloc of 27 countries, the US, Oman, Peru and Chile.

“Today, India negotiates from a presumption of strength. We are self-confident and tin vie with anybody successful the world. This is not the anemic India nether the Congress and the UPA, which signed agreements that were not successful the nationalist interests,” Goyal asserted.

Earlier, helium had clarified that India would judge the projected commercialized woody with the US “only if it is afloat finalised and aligns with nationalist interests”.

Rahul, however, took to X to disregard Goyal’s stance, stating, “Piyush Goyal tin bushed his thorax each helium wants, people my words, Modi volition meekly bow to the Trump tariff deadline”. The Congress has besides been captious of the PM for not countering US President Donald Trump’s claims astir mediating betwixt India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.