NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of quietly conceding too much in a newly announced trade deal with the United States, after President Donald Trump revealed the agreement following a call with Modi.
In a series of statements on Tuesday, the Indian National Congress said the government should take parliament and the public “into confidence” and disclose the deal’s full terms, warning that lowering trade barriers could hurt domestic industry, small traders and farmers.
“The Modi government must take the Parliament and the entire country into confidence and share all the details,” the official account of the Indian National Congress wrote.
In the United States, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agreement would expand exports of American farm products into India’s large market, a comment that added to opposition concerns about the impact on Indian farmers.
Responding to the post by US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Chairperson of Social Media and Digital Platforms in India and member of the Indian National Congress, Supriya Shrinate, said, “This reaction from US Agriculture Secretary is deeply worrying…Modi had promised he won’t compromise the interests of Indian farmers… how can India allow this?”
Trump said Washington would cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%. At the same time, India would reduce barriers and move away from buying Russian oil, with Trump suggesting India could instead buy oil from the United States and potentially Venezuela.
Congress questioned whether New Delhi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian crude and whether safeguards were in place if the deal opens parts of India’s agriculture market to American products.
Congress Kerala’s official X account also said the move risked turning India into an “American colony”.
The government has not publicly released a detailed text, timelines, or an enforcement mechanism. Reuters reported that while Trump framed the deal as ending Russian oil purchases, refiners and industry sources expected any shift to require a wind-down period to honour existing contracts.
The official Congress Kerala X account said, “This is the lowest moment for the country,” saying that Modi was surrendering India’s sovereignty to the US “to keep…himself out of jail.”
In an X post, India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, welcomed the announcement, saying that deeper economic ties would support jobs, growth and innovation, and strengthen “Make in India” efforts.
