‘Namaste Trump has scored over Howdy Modi’: Congress on India-US trade pact

Senior Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday questioned the outcomes of the latest United States-India Joint Statement, alleging that the terms revealed so far indicate a clear tilt in favour of Washington and could have adverse implications for India’s energy policy, farmers, and trade balance.

In a post on X, Ramesh said the joint statement was “silent on details”, but the information that has emerged raised serious concerns for India’s economic and strategic interests. He argued that the lack of clarity itself was troubling, particularly given the scale of the commitments being attributed to India.

Ramesh said India would no longer import oil from Russia, a shift that could have far-reaching implications for the country’s energy security. He pointed out that the United States had separately announced that a 25 per cent penalty could be imposed again if India purchases Russian oil, directly or indirectly, a move he said would effectively constrain India’s independent decision-making on energy procurement.

The Congress leader also flagged the impact on agriculture, saying India was set to slash import duties to facilitate greater access for American farm produce. According to him, such a move would benefit US farmers while putting additional pressure on Indian farmers who are already facing rising input costs and uncertain returns.

On trade, Ramesh claimed India’s annual imports from the United States were expected to triple, a development he said would erase India’s longstanding goods trade surplus with Washington. He described this as a significant imbalance that could weaken India’s position in bilateral trade relations.

Ramesh further said uncertainty continued over India’s exports of IT and other services to the US, despite repeated expectations of relief for Indian professionals and companies. He also warned that India’s goods exports to the US could face higher duties than before, making Indian products less competitive in the American market.

“All the hugs and photo-ops have not amounted to much,” Ramesh said, adding that the outcomes suggest that the US has gained more from the engagement than India. In a sharp political remark, he said, “Namaste Trump has scored over Howdy Modi,” ending his post with the line, “dost dost na raha”.

The United States-India Joint Statement just issued is silent on details. But from what has been revealed it is clear that:

1. India will no longer import oil from Russia. Separately the US has announced that 25% penalty could be reimposed if India buys oil directly or…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 7, 2026