Tariff imposition reflects failure of talks: Opposition

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the imposition of additional tariff on India showed that the US leadership was in hands of businessmen and "our customer” fell into their trap.

Taking a potshot at the PM, Kharge said, “Their friendship of hugging, laughing, ‘once again Trump’ slogan shows that America is a businessman and our customer got trapped.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari said the imposition of additional tariff was a “complete failure” of the negotiations between the Government of India and the Trump administration.

“America has gone ahead and done what it wanted to do. Coupled with that you have the unfortunate situation where the visas of Indian students are being cancelled en masse. The Government of India is not raising its voice,” he said.

“It's time the government develops a spine and starts standing up for Indian interests and Indian people,” Tewari said.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha said while India had maintained an unwavering friendship with the US, the gesture was not reciprocated. He said the government had taken pro-US measures, but products made in India now faced a 27 per cent tariff.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh said the move would have adverse impact on key sectors in India like textiles and engineering as well as on fate of lakhs of people employed in these sectors.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the imposition of tariff as “disturbing” and said it would affect "some of India’s exports" to the US which would “perhaps” become less competitive.

He said while the implications of the tariffs were uncertain, India had a nine-month window to negotiate.

“I think we have to see what kind of negotiations our people are able to conduct and how best we can use that window till September-October in order to get a more favourable outcome which may dilute some of these provisions,” he said.

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said India would frame its own policy and not buckle under pressure.

“The country has implemented measures for self-reliance and self-employment. It is now moving ahead firmly. If a country is framing its policy, then India will also frame its policy,” he said.