New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Saturday criticised Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks on trade agreements signed during the UPA regime, calling them “irresponsible and misleading”, and demanded an apology.
In a series of posts on X, former commerce minister Sharma said Goyal’s comments on UPA-era trade pacts and palm oil imports deserved “strong repudiation.” He asserted that palm oil imports were in the national interest and constituted essential imports to meet domestic demand.
“Shocked to hear the irresponsible, misleading and factually incorrect statements by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goel on the trade pacts done during the UPA government and the import of palm oil, which deserve strong repudiation,” Sharma said in a post.
India continues to be an importer of edible oils, with annual domestic production at around 10.5-10.6 mt, while imports stand at 16 mt per year, amounting to USD 18.3 billion in 2024-25, he noted.
“Palm oil imports were there during the Vajpayee-led NDA government. They have continued uninterrupted even during the 11 years of the Modi-led BJP government, and your 6 years as the commerce minister, palm oil imports have only increased,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia as part of India’s ASEAN outreach, Sharma asked why the government has not scrapped the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) and trade pacts with Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia if they were indeed against national interest.
“What has stopped you from cancelling these trade agreements for the last 11 years?” Sharma asked.
“The commerce minister has done a disservice to the nation by terming ASEAN as the B team of China, and should apologise for his statements,” the Congress leader said.
Goyal has been criticising previous governments for signing FTAs with competing developing nations, which he claimed disadvantaged Indian industries.
“They (UPA) did a free trade agreement with Japan, Korea, and the rest of the 30-odd countries… They gave concessions to countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, effectively shooting themselves in the foot,” Goyal said.
Sharma further asked the minister to respond to his seven questions on the India-US trade deal, which he said remained “shrouded in mystery.” The Congress leader on Wednesday said the trade deal was “shrouded in opacity” and raised concerns that the agreement could have implications beyond trade, affecting national sovereignty, India’s global commitments to the multilateral trade regime and its leadership of the Global South.
Sharma also asked whether India had committed to opening up its agriculture and dairy sector, as claimed by US President Donald Trump, and whether India is committed to offering zero-duty access to the US on almost all products. PTI SKC RHL
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