New Delhi, September 16 (HS): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday targeted the Central government over US tariffs and trade policy, alleging that the government was yielding to American pressure, the consequences of which were being borne by the country's 1.4 billion citizens, farmers and industries.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Kharge said the recent US warning of imposing tariffs of up to 100 per cent on Indian goods reflected the failure of the government's foreign and trade policies. He said the threat had escalated from 25 per cent to 50 per cent and now to 100 per cent tariffs. This, he said, could deliver a severe blow to key sectors of the Indian economy, including pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering goods, chemicals, auto components, gems and jewellery, electronics and technology.

The Congress president alleged that while Indian goods faced the threat of steep import duties, the Modi government had agreed to a trade framework that would make it easier for American products to gain access to the Indian agricultural market. Kharge described this as a step that compromised the interests of the country's farmers. He claimed that under the trade agreement, India was being compelled to purchase $500 billion worth of American goods over the next five years.

Referring to the issue of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions, Kharge described it as the latest example of what he termed the government's weakness. He said that pressure from Washington was continuing to mount across a range of issues, from tariffs and trade to H-1B visas and digital payments.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar