Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi has unleashed a barrage of concerns over the India-US trade pact, dismissing it as lopsided and detrimental to Indian interests. In an interview from New Delhi, she dissected Trump’s exuberant X posts, which paint the agreement as a landmark victory for America, while leaving India’s gains murky at best.
According to Trump, US tariffs on Indian goods have dropped dramatically to 18%, a boon for exporters. Yet Chaturvedi counters that India has reciprocated by eliminating all duties and barriers for American imports. ‘This opens our doors wide to US products, potentially overwhelming local markets,’ she cautioned, urging transparency on the full terms withheld from the public.
Beyond commerce, the deal’s tentacles reach into energy geopolitics. Trump boasted of India’s pledge to halt Russian oil buys, ditch Iranian crude, and pivot to Venezuelan supplies. Coupled with a 10% surge in US oil imports and new LPG contracts with Indian PSUs, Chaturvedi sees a pattern of concessions favoring Washington. She also connected dots to the Anand Fanan peace bill, viewed as advancing US agendas.
Republican senators’ posts reveal more: India allegedly greenlit market access in agriculture and coal, stripping away farmer safeguards. ‘Tariff relief is welcome, but at what cost to our agriculture backbone?’ Chaturvedi probed, painting a picture of unequal exchange.
Shifting to parliamentary drama, she lambasted the Centre for blocking Rahul Gandhi’s reference to a former Army Chief’s unpublished book excerpt on Galwan. Despite legal rights for authors to share snippets, Speaker denied voice, leading to adjournment amid ministerial outrage. ‘Hiding Galwan truths undermines democracy and national security,’ she thundered, demanding accountability from leaders like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. This saga, she insisted, exemplifies how power stifles dissent in the name of rules.