Rahul Gandhi’s sharp jibe at PM as Trump’s July 9 deadline looms: ‘Modi will meekly bow…’

Trump had levied reciprocal tariffs on about 100 countries, including 26 per cent tariff on India, but granted a 90-day pause which concludes next week

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “meekly bow” to US President Donald Trump, as India navigates ongoing trade negotiations with Washington.

His statement was in response to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal remarks that India does not enter trade agreements based on deadlines but on mutual benefit and national interest.

On Friday, Goyal had claimed that India would accept the proposed trade deal with the US only when it is fully finalised, and in the national interest.

Reacting to which, Rahul Gandhi said, “Piyush Goyal can beat his chest all he wants, mark my words, Modi will meekly bow to the Trump tariff deadline.”

“An FTA (free trade agreement) should be a win-win. India never negotiates trade deals based on deadlines. Our focus is always on fairness and the country’s benefit,” Goyal said when asked if the India-US trade agreement would be sealed ahead of the July 9 deadline.

“India negotiates trade deals on its own terms. Our priority is what benefits the country,” he added.

Trump had levied reciprocal tariffs on about 100 countries, including 26 per cent tariff on India, but granted a 90-day pause which concludes next week.

A high-level Indian delegation, headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, recently concluded a round of talks in Washington on a proposed interim trade deal. Held between June 26 and July 2, the discussions made limited headway, with major issues in agriculture and automobiles still unresolved.

“The Indian team is back from Washington. Negotiations will continue. There are certain issues which need to be resolved in agriculture, dairy and auto sectors,” a senior official told Moneycontrol.

The Congress has also been attacking PM Modi for remaining silent and not countering US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of bringing a halt to hostilities between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.

On Rahul Gandhi's PM Modi will bow down remark, Goyal said nobody takes Rahul Gandhi seriously anymore because of the negativity that he, his party and his colleagues are continuously spreading. "The falsehoods that they are spreading, I think they have lost the plot. They have lost the confidence of the people of India who are again and again rejecting the Congress party and their politics. Till today, they have not been able to come up with any positive agenda for the development of the nation. Even in Karnataka, their government has completely collapsed -- its a hotbet of corruption, its a government which is fighting among themselves every single day. I hope Rahul Gandhi can control his own party and his own governments...," Goyal added.