Jairam Ramesh flags ‘haste’ in India-US trade pact, citing pending US Supreme Court tariff verdict

‎Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday raised questions over the timing of the recently concluded India-US trade agreement, arguing that the government may have rushed into signing the pact despite a pending judgment by the US Supreme Court on tariffs imposed during the tenure of US President Donald Trump.

‎In a post on X, Ramesh referred to the publicly available calendar of the US Supreme Court, pointing out that February 20 had been designated months in advance as a non-argument day — typically a day when rulings can be delivered. “This is the calendar of the US Supreme Court — decided and released months in advance. It clearly marks out February 20th as a non-argument day — i.e., a day when arguments will not be heard and a judgment could be released,” he wrote.

Advertisement

‎Ramesh noted that the Court had already heard arguments on November 5, 2025, in cases concerning tariffs introduced under the Trump administration. He claimed it was widely expected that the justices were unlikely to uphold those tariffs. ‎“The Court had already heard arguments relating to tariffs on November 5th 2025 and it was well known that the Justices were not expected to be favourably inclined to President Trump’s tariffs,” he said.

‎Questioning the government’s decision to finalise the agreement on February 2, 2026, Ramesh asked: “Why then did India not wait until February 20th to sign the trade deal? What was the desperation to do so on February 2nd, 2026?”

‎Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader suggested that the timing of the announcement may have been politically driven. “Had the Prime Minister not felt the need to distract the media, the Parliament, and the people by announcing this trade deal and compromising the interest of millions of our farmers, India would have been in a much stronger bargaining position right now,” he wrote.

Ramesh argued that awaiting the Supreme Court’s verdict could have improved India’s negotiating leverage, particularly on tariff-related matters affecting agriculture and other key sectors.

‎Trade relations between India and the United States have seen periodic friction over tariffs on agricultural goods, steel, aluminium and other products. The Trump administration’s tariff measures triggered a series of legal challenges in US courts, creating uncertainty for global trading partners.

‎While the Centre has defended the new trade agreement as beneficial for Indian exporters and as strengthening strategic ties with Washington, opposition parties have voiced concerns about its potential impact on domestic producers, especially farmers.

The government has not formally responded to Ramesh’s latest remarks but has previously maintained that trade negotiations are undertaken after careful economic assessment and in line with India’s long-term strategic interests.

‎Ramesh’s intervention adds to the intensifying political debate over the trade pact, with the opposition seeking greater transparency on both its provisions and the timing of its signing.