NEW DELHI: Upping the ante on the India-US interim trade deal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the government of cheating cotton farmers and textile exporters in the country and said the agreement is likely to inflict deep damage on both sectors.
In a post on X, he said the government as a visionary government would have negotiated a deal that protected both and ensured prosperity for both the sectors.
“18% tariff vs 0% - Let me explain how the PM and his cabinet are spreading confusion on this issue…,” he said in his post. Gandhi said Bangladesh is being given 0% tariff benefit on garment exports to the US - the only condition is that they import American cotton.
“After the announcement of an 18% tariff on Indian garments, when I raised the question in Parliament about the special concession being given to Bangladesh, the reply from a minister in the Modi government was: “If we also want the same benefit, we will have to import cotton from America”.
“Why was this fact hidden from the country till now? And what kind of policy is this? Is this really any kind of choice - or is it a trap designed to push us into a ‘well in front, ditch behind’ situation,” he asked.
In another video message, Gandhi slammed Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal over the agreement, and urged him not to lie about the ‘reality’ of the deal. Gandhi said, “A minister in the Modi government is unaware of the fact that Bangladesh has decided to import cotton from the
US instead of India. He argued that if the US grants Bangladesh zero-tariff access, it would severely hurt India’s textile industry.
He also rejected the argument that importing US cotton would benefit India. Indian cotton is largely exported to Bangladesh and sustains India’s textile mills, he said.