‘Completely surrendered’: Congress slams Modi after Trump’s trade deal move

The principal opposition party drew a parallel between Trump’s trade deal announcement and his declaration of a ceasefire during last year’s India–Pakistan conflict.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge Communications, alleged that the manner in which the deal was announced reflected India’s weakened position under the Modi government.

“President Trump announced the trade deal very late at night according to Indian time. From the information provided by President Trump, it is absolutely clear that Prime Minister Modi has — just as he did on May 10, 2025 — completely surrendered. He has definitely appeased President Trump. This unfortunate chain of events has weakened India’s position,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

In his lengthy post, Ramesh claimed that the much-publicised Modi–Trump “hug diplomacy” had projected an inflated image of India–US ties, which he said unravelled quickly after Trump’s ceasefire announcement and Washington’s growing engagement with Pakistan.

“Immediately afterwards, negotiations began for a trade deal. But the situation started deteriorating after President Trump’s first announcement on the evening of May 10, 2025, to halt Operation Sindoor,” he said.

Ramesh further alleged that Trump’s outreach to Pakistan exposed the “hollowness” of the Prime Minister’s foreign policy approach.

“Following that, President Trump showed closeness to Pakistan by warmly hosting Field Marshal Asim Munir, which exposed the hollowness of PM Modi’s hug diplomacy,” he added.

Separately, the Congress leader has demanded that the government table the full text of the India–US and India–EU trade agreements during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.

Under the India-US agreement, the United States will immediately lower its reciprocal tariff on Indian imports from 25% to 18%. Announcing the decision on Truth Social, Trump said the deal was reached “out of friendship and respect” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that India has agreed to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US goods.

Trump also said India would halt purchases of Russian oil and significantly increase energy imports from the United States, linking the move to broader efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the tariff revision and praised Trump’s leadership, calling it “vital for global peace, stability and prosperity”.

“Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement,” Modi said in a post on X.

“When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace,” he added.