US EditionIndia-US Trade Deal: A Pre-Committed Purchase Controversy
Tharoor accused the government of trading away strategic autonomy by agreeing to $500 billion in U.S. purchase commitments over five years without proportional market access.
- On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, criticised the trade deal as a `pre-committed purchase agreement` and accused ministers of `playing ping pong`.
- Last week, India and the U.S. announced a framework with a $500 billion purchase pledge despite roughly $130 billion in trade and an 18% reciprocal tariff level, Tharoor said.
- The MP warned of long-term trade and industrial consequences, saying commitments may turn India's surplus into a deficit without protecting farmers, MSMEs, or domestic industry.
- Tharoor warned the Budget's assumptions lack necessary information, saying ambiguity around the deal harms its credibility and Commerce and External Affairs ministers gave no clear fiscal explanations.
- With the final agreement expected in mid-March, Tharoor urged awareness that concerns exist now, flagging policy shifts on agriculture, data localisation, intellectual-property safeguards, and strategic energy imports.
11 Articles
11 Articles
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Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Echoing similar sentiments, SP MP Anand Bhadauriya termed the Budget "hollow". "We had initially hoped that the budget would be a good one, but a hollow budget was presented. The opposition raised questions in the House, but the Finance Minister did not give a meaningful response to any of them; instead, it felt like she was delivering a political speech," he said. India News | India-US Inter…
18% vs 0% tariffs show lack of reciprocity in Indo-US trade pact: Tharoor
Tharoor said the government had committed to purchasing $500 billion worth of American goods over five years..India US trade pact, reciprocal trade agreement, Shashi Tharoor trade, US tariff India, interim trade deal, AI trade policy, LLM trade analysis, economic pre-emption, trade surplus deficit, India US budget, Lok Sabha trade debate, data localisation norms, intellectual property safeguards, energy imports Russia, national interests surrend…
Tharoor Targets Jaishankar And Goyal Over India-US Interim Trade Pact
He warned that the agreement could turn India’s trade surplus into a long-term deficit and accused the government of surrendering negotiating leverage without safeguarding farmers, MSMEs, or domestic industry.
'Pre-committed purchase pact & 2-minister ping-pong': Tharoor's scathing jibe at India-US trade deal
Thiruvananthapuram MP, who backed the Centre on Op Sindoor, took a swipe at ministers Piyush Goyal & Jaishankar for evading questions on India’s purported pledge to US on Russian oil.
Trump’s Trade Truce Won’t Restore the US-India Relationship
With the announcement of an interim trade deal between the US and India, hopes are high that the bruising confrontation initiated by President Donald Trump last year is coming to an end. But while the deal may ease tensions, trust – the essential currency of any strategic partnership – is unlikely to be restored any time soon.
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