Congress MP gives adjournment motion notice in LS over US tariffs on Indian exports
Opposition MPs have started targeting the Modi-led NDA government a day after US announced 25 per cent tariffs on imports from India starting from Friday.
In the notice, Tagore termed the situation an 'economic and diplomatic failure,' stating that these measures will severely impact some of India's most competitive and employment-intensive export sectors, including automobiles and auto components, steel and aluminium, electronics and smartphones, solar modules, pharmaceuticals, marine products, processed food, agriculture, and gems and jewellery.
The motion highlights that the US administration has cited India's 'non-tariff barriers' and 'unfair trade practices' as the premise for the action. India's trade surplus with the US was USD 45.7 billion in 2024.
Tagore also expressed his concern regarding economic fallout, especially in MSME belts, where the impact could lead to production disruption, order cancellations, job losses, and long-term damage to India's export reputation. He estimated that 6-8 lakh MSMEs could directly or indirectly be affected, putting 40-50 lakh jobs at risk across sectors (15-20 lakh workers in automobiles, 20 in gems and jewellery, over 10 lakh in marine products, processed foods, and agriculture).
The notice also criticised the government for its silence on India's recent trade proximity with Russia that may have contributed to the US action, and said that no statement has been placed before parliament by either the Prime Minister or the concerned ministers (Minister of External Affairs, Commerce).
'The lack of strategic communication and transparency on foreign alignment is a serious concern,' the MP said, also adding that Parliament had not been taken into confidence despite the gravity of the situation.
The adjournment motion seeks to initiate an urgent discussion in the House on the government's handling of the issue, its impact on trade and employment, lack of transparency, and the need for corrective diplomatic measures and MSME support.
UNI SQ AAB
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Elevating ties, Manila hails Delhi's defence capabilities, BrahMos
Calling India and the Philippines as two countries which are 'friends by choice and partners by destiny', Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held talks Tuesday with visiting President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership. As Marcos underlined 'satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines' ongoing defense modernisation and the expanding capabilities and footprint of India's indigenous defense industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project,' the two countries, focusing on greater defence cooperation and maritime security, brought out a Plan of Action (2025-2029) to guide the strategic partnership over the next five years. They also agreed to start talks on a preferential trade agreement. The elevation of ties was announced after talks between Modi and Marcos, just a day after the navies of the two countries conducted their first joint drill off the Philippines coast, in the South China Sea. India and the Philippines also signed nine agreements. These include talks among the armies, air forces and navies of the two countries and cooperation on the peaceful use of outer space. At a joint press briefing along with Marcos who is in India on a five-day visit, Modi said, 'India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny. From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are united by shared values. Ours is not just a friendship of the past, it is a promise to the future.' He said the Philippines is an important partner in India's Act East Policy. 'We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. We support freedom of navigation in accordance with international laws,' Modi said, emphasising that the enhanced defence relations between the two countries are a symbol of deep mutual trust. He thanked the government of the Philippines for condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, and for standing with India in the fight against terrorism. 'As maritime nations, maritime cooperation between the two countries is both natural and essential. We have been working together in humanitarian aid, disaster relief, search and rescue,' he said. 'Today, when the President is in India, three ships of the Indian Navy are participating in a naval exercise in the Philippines for the first time,' Modi said. Last Saturday, India and the Philippines began 'bilateral maritime cooperative activity'. Sources said India joined the efforts owing to its shared concerns about China's growing maritime power, including in the South China Sea. And at a media briefing on the Presidential visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said India's position on the South China Sea is 'clear and consistent' and it considers it as part of the global commons. In response to a query on the bilateral naval exercise, MEA Secretary (East) P Kumaran said India has an 'abiding interest' in peace and stability in the region. Kumaran said India is in talks with the Philippines for development of submarine infrastructure. On Tuesday, Marcos said Modi and he agreed to cooperate further in the defence and security sector. 'India becomes only the fifth strategic partner for the Philippines. This new apex attests as much to the remarkably rapid growth, broadening and deepening of our 75-year-old bilateral relationship, the possibilities represented by the strong upward trajectory of our true economies as it does to the growing alignment of our interests and views on the challenges and imperatives of our time,' he said. 'We agreed to continue levelling up our collaboration in defence and security,' he said. India delivered the first batch of BrahMos missile system to the Philippines on April 19, 2024, making it the first foreign nation to acquire the missile weapon system. 'We express satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines' ongoing defense modernisation and the expanding capabilities and footprint of India's indigenous defense industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project. We concurred that it should be accompanied with intensified dialogue and exchanges between our defense establishments,' Marcos said. The two countries have also agreed to establish mechanisms for service-to-service talks for information sharing and training exchanges among the militaries. 'We will foster naval and coast guard interoperability via port calls in cooperative activities and capacity building in the maritime domain,' he said. Modi said trade between the two countries was increasing and had crossed $3 billion. 'To further strengthen trade ties, it is our priority to review the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement at the earliest. We have also decided to work towards a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement,' he said. Meanwhile, direct flights from Delhi to Manila are expected to commence operations from October 1 this year, MEA officials said, adding that the two countries are exploring possibilities to expand air links to additional destinations to provide a strong push to tourism, business, and people-to-people contacts. During the joint press briefing, Marcos announced visa-free entry privileges for Indian tourists, and Modi reciprocated with a gratis e-visa facility for visitors from the Philippines. Marcos said that this visit made him the fifth President of the Philippines to visit India, following in his father's footsteps, who was the first President of the Philippines to visit India. Condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, he said, 'I carry the message of our solidarity with India both over the tragic attack in Pahalgam earlier this year and in the broader fight against terrorism.' With India and the Philippines celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the two leaders released a postage stamp to commemorate the occasion. On Tuesday, Marcos was accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. He visited Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. It was followed by bilateral talks between Modi and Marcos. Thereafter, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of bilateral documents. Engagements of President Marcos also include a call on President Droupadi Murmu, followed by a banquet hosted in his honour. He will also be visiting Bengaluru. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Epstein investigation files, Clintons subpoenaed by House panel
House Republicans subpoenaed the Justice Department and a slew of former US officials for information about Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operation, while his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell fought back in federal court against making materials in her case public. This undated trial evidence image obtained December 8, 2021, from the US District Court for the Southern District of New York shows British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and US financier Jeffrey Epstein.(AFP) The developments played out from Washington to New York on Tuesday, pouring fresh fuel on a controversy that President Donald Trump and his top aides have been unable to shake for weeks. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding the 'full, complete, unredacted Epstein files,' including information about Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in sexually abusing underage women. While Comer is a Trump ally, his hand was forced to issue the subpoena after Democrats on his committee team up with rank-and-file Republicans to vote in favor of forcing disclosure of the Justice Department records. Comer expanded on the Democratic-backed subpoena to also compel testimony from officials from prior administrations, including frequent Trump targets such as former FBI Director James Comey and President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, Trump's opponent in the 2016 presidential election. It wasn't clear what, if any, information they have on the case. Still, the subpoenas set up a potential confrontation between the Republican-led panel and the Trump administration over access to the Justice Department's investigative records. Trump and his top aides have faced a firestorm over their handling of the Epstein case, with supporters and critics alike demanding they release documents, financial records and information about Epstein's sex-trafficking operation and who may have committed crimes against underage girls. Congressional Democrats made life so politically painful for House Republicans over Epstein that Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early for its August break in order to avoid votes on publicly releasing the Epstein files. Democrats had repeatedly offered amendments to legislation to compel the administration to make the files public and GOP leaders halted work on major legislation. Trump has acknowledged he had a personal relationship with Epstein long ago and attended social gatherings with him but has denied knowing anything about his sex-trafficking operation. The Wall Street Journal stoked new controversy over Trump's relationship with Epstein with a story last month that said the president once sent a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein. Trump denied the story and sued the news organization. In the face of rising pressure from fellow Republicans and critics demanding more information about the case, the Justice Department has asked federal judges in New York to unseal grand jury materials related to Epstein and Maxwell. Maxwell fought back in court on Tuesday, opposing the request to unseal grand jury transcripts in her criminal case, saying she is still fighting her conviction. 'The public interest identified by the government — while understandable — is insufficient to warrant disclosure of grand jury materials at this time,' Maxwell's lawyers wrote in a legal filing. 'The government frames this interest as 'historical,' yet it is nothing more than widespread and intense public scrutiny about an ongoing criminal case.' The Justice Department has indicated in court filings that the grand jury material is very limited and probably won't shed any new light on what is already publicly known about Epstein's operation. In comparison, the department has a huge collection of documents and files obtained during the investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, including interviews with witnesses and victims. The subpoena to the department seeks all documents and communications related to seven different categories, including the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell and information about Epstein's death. Comer's panel gave the Justice Department until Aug. 19 to turn over records related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he faced sex-trafficking charges. A Justice Department spokesman didn't respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for the Clintons. Bill Clinton, who has acknowledged traveling on Epstein's private airplane, has previously denied knowing anything about the financier's sex-trafficking. The Justice Department is traditionally reluctant to share all its investigative files with lawmakers and has resisted demands so far to make more information about Epstein's operation public. Comer's panel already subpoenaed Maxwell for an Aug. 11 deposition. But her lawyers have demanded criminal immunity in return for her testimony and Comer hasn't agreed to the request.
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Confidential: Solid support
Not all in Kerala BJP were happy about the party leadership's intervention in the matter of two Kerala nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, but state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar was unperturbed as his move was supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it is learnt. According to party insiders, when Chandrasekhar met PM Modi last week, the latter was very supportive of his request. Many say it was Modi's intervention that silenced any resistance within the party in Kerala as well as Chhattisgarh. The PM has repeatedly asked party leaders to woo the Christians in Kerala as a Christian-Hindu consolidation would only help the BJP emerge as an alternative in the state. Post From Past THE ARMY'S Eastern Command on Tuesday shared a news clip on X from August 5, 1971 that highlighted the role of the United States nearly 20 years prior to the 1971 war in arming Pakistan. The headline of the article read: 'US Arms Worth $2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan Since '54'. The post, shared at a time when the US is threatening India with steeper tariffs over Russian oil trade and Delhi calling it 'unjustified and unreasonable targeting', has raised many eyebrows but military insiders maintain it's a 'sheer coincidence' and not related to the current impasse. Sweet Start THE INAUGURAL day events of the new Common Central Secretariat building, Kartavya Bhawan, on Wednesday is likely to end on a sweet note for those attending the evening event. It is learnt that the thousands of government officials and other guests who are expected to attend the programme on Kartavya Path will be given 'motichoor laddoos'. The inauguration marks the completion of the first of the 10 new office buildings proposed under the Central Vista plan.
