PTI, New Delhi. On the talk of imposing reciprocal tariffs by US President Donald Trump, the Congress said that the Modi government should counter this "insult" and make it clear to the US that such steps are not acceptable to India, as it can "severely affect" the Indian economy.
Congress leader Ajay Kumar showed parts of the video of the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump during a press conference. He claimed that while Macron corrected Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained "silent" in front of the US President. "When Trump was calling India a tariff violator, Modi was silent," he said.
Will India's economy be affected?
Ajay Kumar warned that if the duty on Indian products like apples and grapes is removed, farmers in states like Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh will be affected. Apart from this, the Indian car industry and electronic goods may also suffer huge losses. He also said that if more goods start coming from abroad, the manufacturing industry in the country will be deeply affected.
Attack on Modi government's policies
The Congress leader said that the Modi government has already faced many wrong policies, like demonetisation, GST and unplanned lockdown. Apart from this, he also criticized the Modi government's decision to reduce the duty on some key products from the US. He claimed that this has already put the Indian economy in trouble, and now if the tariffs are removed, it will have more negative impact.
'India should communicate with America'
Congress leader Ajay Kumar urged the Modi government to defend its rights before the US. "India has to communicate with the US and tell it that these retaliatory tariffs are not acceptable," he said. He also gave examples of Canada and Mexico where such tariffs were repealed.
Congress angry at US aid to Pakistan
Ajay Kumar also questioned US aid to Pakistan for the maintenance of F-16s. He alleged that the Modi government is silent on this, while the Indian Army has stated several times that Pakistan uses these fighter jets against India. He asked why the Modi government does not respond to this issue.
