Criticising Narendra Modi government’s “weak-kneed and failed” foreign policy, the Congress has said that while the party “remains a staunch advocate of close ties” with the United States, the latter’s decision to impose 27% tariffs will severely impact India’s foreign trade.
The Congress party asserted that its previous administrations had elevated India’s international standing and showcased its leadership on the global stage through a principled and visionary foreign policy.
It is held that the 27% tariff imposed by the US on Indian goods would severely impact India’s foreign trade.
In a draft resolution slated for discussion and presentation at the AICC session on Wednesday, the Congress emphasised that good relations must never come at the cost of India’s national interests. According to reports, its party leaders cautioned that the draft may undergo revisions before being tabled at the AICC session.
A portion of the draft resolution reads: “During the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington, DC, we were publicly insulted in the PM’s presence and our country was labelled as a ‘tariff abuser’. Indian migrants were treated like animals and deported from the United States in chains and handcuffs. Unfortunately, even the External Affairs Minister justified this inhumane treatment of our migrants by the US in the Parliament.”
“The US, on the other hand, is pressing for reduction of import duties on American goods, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, alcoholic beverages, automobiles, and pharmaceuticals. This would deal a serious blow not only to Indian farmers but also to our dynamic domestic automobile and pharmaceutical industries,” it stated.
“Our governments’ foreign policy was always centred around protection of India’s interests, global balance of power, finding solutions through mutual harmony and dialogue, international cooperation and peaceful resolution of disputes,” the draft resolution added.
“Sadly, the current regime has compromised India’s foreign policy at the altar of ‘individual branding’ and ‘serving vested interests’. The position in our neighbourhood is indeed worrisome. China has illegally coupled nearly 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in eastern Ladakh, yet the current BJP government, founded upon the rhetoric of showing ‘lal ankh’ (red eye), has utterly failed to remère (the right to repurchase) the status quo ante, as it existed prior to April 2020.”
The draft also expressed grave concerns over China’s proposed construction of the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra river, warning that this development poses a significant threat, especially for the Indian states of Assam and other Northeastern regions.
