New Delhi [India], February 8 (ANI): Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal expressed confidence in the India-US interim trade deal, stating that there was nothing in the proposed trade deal that the Opposition could use to target him during the upcoming Parliament session.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Goyal dismissed concerns that the Opposition was preparing to aggressively attack the government over the trade agreement. 'What is the difficulty? I've done a fantastic deal. We are celebrating the deal. They may attack on falsehoods about which I'm not worried,' he said.

'But if there was any mistake about which I had to be embarrassed, if there was any loose end which I would have left behind, then I should have been worried. There is nothing in the trade deal by which they can attack me,' Goyal said.

The minister said he welcomed a detailed discussion on the agreement, both inside and outside Parliament, provided the House was allowed to function smoothly. 'I welcome anybody to come and have a conversation with me on this. Provided they are willing to let Parliament run,' he said, stressing that debate and dialogue were essential to a healthy democracy.

Responding to questions on why details of the trade deal were not yet in the public domain, Goyal said it was standard practice to wait until the agreement was fully finalised and approved by the Cabinet. 'Yes, we'll have to wait for some more time,' he said, reiterating that the Opposition would still find no substantive grounds to criticise the deal.

Goyal also took a swipe at Opposition parties, accusing them of lacking seriousness and missing opportunities for constructive debate. Referring to disruptions during the discussion on the President's address, he called it an 'absolutely sad day' for Parliament. 'Probably the first time that we've had to abort a complete discussion because of the immaturity and behaviour of some parliamentarians from the opposition,' he said.

He added that such conduct deprived MPs of the chance to raise issues concerning their constituents and projected a poor image of India's parliamentary democracy to the world.

'I dare say they are very non-serious politicians. They've missed an opportunity to have a healthy debate on the President's address to Parliament, which is an absolute... Absolutely sad day for us, probably the first time that we've had to abort a complete discussion because of the immaturity and behaviour of some parliamentarians from the opposition. I do hope they will see reason and understand that parliament is a debate for discussion, for debate, for dialogue. We want them to raise issues of public importance. Our MPs feel sad that they would like to raise issues of importance to their constituents in their constituencies who are also deprived because of this behavior that we are witnessing on television. In fact, the world must be seeing this and really wondering what kind of opposition leaders India has,' the Minister said.

The United States and India announced a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade, reaffirming their commitment to a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025. As part of the framework, India has agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US agricultural and food products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

On the other hand, the United States will impose a reciprocal tariff of 18 per cent on goods originating in India, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber products, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal goods and certain machinery. Subject to the successful conclusion of the Interim Agreement, the US has said it will later remove reciprocal tariffs on select items, including generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts.

The United States will also remove tariffs on certain aircraft and aircraft parts from India, which were imposed to address national security threats, the joint statement said.

According to the statement, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products. India also intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years. (ANI)