New Delhi: The Congress on Friday hailed the US Supreme Court decision striking down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs and said India may not have found itself cornered into a “one-sided” trade deal had the government waited just 18 more days.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “Hats off to the US Supreme Court for striking down President Trump’s entire tariff strategy! Quite an amazing decision given its ideological composition.
“A 6-3 verdict is decisive. The American system of checks and balances still seems to be working,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday lashed out at the Congress for questioning the India–US trade deal.. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister alleged that despite ruling for years, the Congress party failed to connect farmers to global markets or bring stability to the Indian economy.
The India-US deal provides complete protection to the agriculture sector and keeps farmers’ and the national interests paramount, Chouhan said, asserting that key agricultural products vital to cultivators have been excluded from the agreement.
“No product has been included in this agreement that would cause even the slightest harm to Indian farmers,” the senior BJP leader said at a press conference at his residence here.
Under the terms of the interim trade agreement, released on Saturday by New Delhi and Washington, India will “eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods” and on other food and agricultural products.
The US will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent on goods from India, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, and certain machinery, the joint statement added.
The terms were released after US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India on Monday, stating that Prime Miniser Narendra Modi had promised to halt Russian oil purchases.
Several farmers’ organisations, including Sayunk Kisan Morcha, its non-political breakaway faction, and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), have criticised the India-US trade deal and announced protests against it to be held across the country on 12 February.
