Washington. US Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick has made a big claim regarding the proposed tariff deal between India and America. He says that this deal could not move forward on time due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not calling President Donald Trump directly. After this statement of Lutnik, a new discussion has started regarding the trade relations between the two countries, although till now no official reaction has come from the Indian government on this. Meanwhile, President Trump has recently hinted at increasing tariffs on India.
Howard Lutnick made this statement during the ‘All-In Podcast’. He said that America was working on trade agreements with many countries at that time and a clear policy was adopted that the country which is ready first will get the first and better deal. According to Lutnick, President Trump sees the deal as a ladder, with the country climbing the first rung getting the most advantageous terms. Once that ladder is crossed the same conditions are no longer available.
Lutnick said the deal was first struck with the United Kingdom and they were given clear deadlines. After this the same policy was adopted for other countries also. He said that during that time President Trump was mentioning India several times and India was also clearly told that it had limited time. According to Lutnik, the message given to India was that Prime Minister Modi would have to talk directly to President Trump so that the deal could be finalized.
The US minister claimed that India showed uneasiness over this and Prime Minister Modi did not make the call within the stipulated time. According to him, Friday passed, which was fixed as the deadline. After this, America rapidly made agreements with countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. During this period, India reportedly lagged behind.
In his statement, Lutnik took a jibe at India and said that when India contacted later and said that it was ready for the deal, it was too late. He said that it was like reaching the station with a ticket after missing a train. According to him, the deal that India was talking about was no longer the same because the circumstances and priorities had changed.
The US Commerce Minister also clarified that a preliminary agreement was definitely made between India and America at some point of time, but it was not completed on time. As a result, India can no longer get a deal with the same terms and conditions as before. This statement is being considered important at a time when there are signs of tension in US-India trade relations regarding tariffs and political and diplomatic reactions may emerge in the coming days.
