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New Delhi: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday questioned the Center for not waiting for the US Supreme Court’s verdict on Trump’s tariffs before agreeing to a framework for a trade deal with Washington.A U.S. court ruled 6-3 that the government exceeded its authority by using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad import tariffs.
However, US President Donald Trump later raised global tariffs to the “fully permitted and legally tested level of 15%” with immediate effect.Ramesh said the federal government could have waited for the court’s ruling instead of agreeing to a framework for a trade deal. He said India could have been in a stronger position in negotiations after the verdict.He wrote in a post onHe further criticized the agreement, saying the framework harmed the interests of Indian farmers. “India would be in a stronger bargaining position now if the Prime Minister had not felt the need to distract the media, Parliament and the people by announcing this trade deal and harming the interests of millions of our farmers,” he said.On Saturday, the government said it was studying the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and measures announced by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, ANI commerce ministry sources said that a proposed meeting between the chief negotiators of India and the United States in Washington DC will reschedule discussions on the trade deal.“Both sides believe that the proposed visit of India’s chief negotiator and team should be scheduled after both sides have had time to assess the latest developments and their implications. The meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date,” sources said.
