NEW DELHI: Questioning the ‘ambiguity’ surrounding the interim trade framework announced by India and the United States on Saturday, former Union Minister Anand Sharma said that the concerned Union ministers are speaking with different voices on the issue.
Speaking to TNIE, Sharma, who served as Commerce Minister during the UPA government, sought to know whether the deal has been signed or if its details are still to be negotiated and finalised.
“It is not even an interim agreement. It is merely a ‘framework for an interim agreement’. I have never seen such an arrangement. Where are the details? The minister is speaking in thin air,” the former Union Minister said.
Sharma added that the US executive order stating that India will no longer import Russian oil, and that its compliance will be monitored by the US, has undermined the country’s sovereignty. Neither the Ministry of Commerce nor the Ministry of External Affairs has clarified the US claim, he said.
“This is unacceptable. Have we surrendered our sovereignty? You cannot be subservient to US interests. This raises fundamental questions beyond trade about India’s sovereignty and its commitment to the multilateral trade regime and the leadership of the Global South,” he said.
The Congress leader also asked whether India had agreed to open up its agriculture and dairy sectors. “Has India committed to opening up its agriculture and dairy sector? Did they consult the stakeholders? The government has to provide answers,” he said.
On India’s commitment to buy USD 500 billion worth of US goods in the coming years, he said, "Since India's latest annual imports from the US are approximately USD 45 billion, and global merchandise imports, including petroleum and gas, amount to USD 700 billion, how could India make such an incredulous long-term commitment?"
Taking strong exception to Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s comments on UPA-era trade pacts and palm oil imports, Sharma pointed out that the remarks were made on the day Prime Minister Modi landed in Malaysia as part of India’s ASEAN outreach.
“Are you implying that trade pacts with Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore are against the national interest? Why could the government not scrap these agreements in the last 11 years if they were against the nation’s interests? Why did the Prime Minister visit these countries?” he asked.
He added that palm oil imports were in the national interest and constituted essential imports to meet domestic demand.
“The Commerce Minister has done a disservice to the nation by terming ASEAN as the ‘B team’ of China, and should apologise for his statements,” he added.
Goyal has criticised previous governments for signing FTAs with competing developing nations, claiming that they disadvantaged Indian industries.