New Delhi, March 8: Congress Working Committee member Pawan Khera on Saturday said that the government has surrendered before the US on the issue of lowering tariffs, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi only focusses on taking pictures with lions and cheetahs but failed to roar back at America to protest injustice.
Addressing media persons, Khera said when the PM is in the country he roars like a lion at Opposition members but surrenders before foreign governments when he goes abroad.
“You must roar back at Trump as well. The Congress, as a responsible Opposition, will back you in this,” he said, referring to the PM’s recent visit to Gujarat where he spent time with lions and cheetahs. He said the government should demonstrate its firm intent to protect the interests of farmers, MSMEs, and all Indians.
“Have discussions with experts and the Opposition and achieve clarity on the issue,” he said. Khera, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department of AICC, said on the one hand PM Modi hugs President Trump, on the other, the latter is strangling our economy.
“The country’s economics should get primacy over the PM’s image building,” said Khera, citing the example of Mexico and Canada which were forcefully opposing the Trump administration on its tariff stand.
The Congress leader said PM Modi projects that he has a warm relationship with President Trump but it seems he, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal are afraid of questioning the US President on tariffs. Khera said the US tariffs are going to hit farmers and MSMEs the most, claiming that the lowering of tariffs by India is going to cause a loss of Rs 60,000 crore annually to the economy.
The Congress leader said President Trump has claimed that India has agreed to lower tariffs but “we don’t know if India has actually agreed to do this”. There was no briefing from the government, there was no statement in Parliament and even Commerce Minister Goyal did not share any information on this, he said, adding that a nation with 150 crore people is getting to know about the government’s decision to lower tariffs from President Trump.
Khera suggested that India’s attractive consumer market, which US firms want to benefit from, should be used as a bargaining chip while dealing with the Trump administration.
“You are the custodian of the economic interest of 150 crore Indians who have elected you as Prime Minister,” said Khera, seeking clarity on the alleged lowering of tariffs by India under pressure from the Trump administration. He also called for debating whether facing reciprocal tariffs would be a better option than voluntary lowering of tariffs.
IANS