New Delhi

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticised the government’s statement on the India–US trade agreement, claiming it lacked substance and was aimed more at publicity than clarity.

Reacting to the statement delivered by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Parliament, Ramesh said that it offered no concrete information. In a post on X, he described the minister’s remarks in both Houses as a “non-statement,” arguing that the key elements of the deal are still under negotiation.

The statement on the India-US trade deal read out by the Union Minister of Industry and Commerce today in both Houses of Parliament is actually a non-statement. It provides no details since the details are still being negotiated. Piyush Goyal’s high-sounding claims go completely…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 4, 2026

The Congress MP further alleged that the minister’s optimistic assertions were inconsistent with public comments made by US President Donald Trump, the US Secretary of Agriculture, and the US Trade Representative on social media platforms.

According to Ramesh, the announcement made earlier this week, reportedly at the Prime Minister’s insistence, was driven purely by a desire to attract headlines. “It was nothing more than a publicity exercise,” he said, adding that it amounted to short-term damage control.

Warning of long-term consequences, Ramesh cautioned that once the full details of the agreement emerge, Indian farmers would bear the brunt of its impact.

Earlier in the day, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament that safeguarding the energy security of India’s 1.4 billion citizens remains the government’s foremost priority. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he said that diversifying energy sources in line with changing global market conditions is a key pillar of India’s strategy.

Goyal noted that as India advances towards the goal of Viksit Bharat, significant expansion would be required across sectors such as energy, aviation, data centres, and nuclear power, areas in which the United States has global leadership.

He informed the House that after extensive negotiations, both countries had reached consensus on several components of a bilateral trade agreement. According to the minister, the next phase would involve completing technical procedures and final documentation to unlock the agreement’s full potential. He described the framework as a major milestone in deepening India–US ties and supporting India’s development ambitions for 2047.

Goyal also pointed out that the reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent announced by US President Donald Trump is lower than those applied to many competing economies, giving Indian exports a relative advantage.

He said negotiations over the past year were focused on arriving at a balanced and mutually beneficial outcome while protecting sensitive sectors in both economies. Emphasising domestic concerns, the minister assured Parliament that India’s agriculture and dairy sectors remain safeguarded under the proposed framework.

Goyal added that the US, too, had sensitive areas it sought to protect, and that sustained engagement over multiple rounds helped narrow differences and finalise several aspects of the agreement.

Following President Trump’s announcement on February 2, the US reduced the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent and removed an additional 25 per cent punitive levy linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil.

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Announcing the decision on Truth Social, Trump said the move was made “out of friendship and respect” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at his request.