Jammu, Mar 15: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday slammed the Congress for criticising the India-US trade agreement, saying the deal will boost employment, strengthen MSMEs and help the country’s economy grow.
He also asserted that there is no immediate shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The minister said that while it is difficult to predict when the war will end, India wants an early end to the hostilities and emphasised that the fighting should remain confined to armed forces and not target innocent civilians, schools or public places.
“The deal that we have signed with the United States — the Indo-US deal — is worth about Rs 45 lakh crore, and it is expected to generate employment for lakhs of people. This agreement will also greatly benefit the MSME sector, as small and medium industries will become stronger by manufacturing goods here and exporting them to the rest of the world. This will help in boosting our economy,” Athawale told reporters here.
Apart from the United States, he said India has also entered into agreements with European countries, which will further strengthen trade and economic growth.
The minister said he believes that the US-India deal is not against farmers and the opposition, especially Congress leader Rahul Gandhi among others, are spreading misinformation deliberately.
“Such agreements have been signed earlier as well. During the tenure of Manmohan Singh, similar agreements were made with the United States and other countries. In my opinion, the opposition is creating unnecessary disruption and wasting public money by raising daily protests. No matter how much Rahul Gandhi tries, India is becoming stronger under the leadership of Modi,” he said.
At present, according to the Republican Party Of India (A) chief, the war situation involving America, Israel and Iran is continuing, but India’s stand is clear that there should be no war.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said many times that we do not want war, we want peace and development. However, because the conflict is ongoing, there are concerns that shortages of petrol, diesel and gas could arise,” he said.
However, Athawale pointed out that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has informed Parliament about India having the stock of petrol, diesel and gas sufficient for about two months. Therefore, there is no immediate problem, he said.
“India maintains good relations with Iran, the United States and Israel, which helps in maintaining supply and stability. The prime minister has recently visited Israel, and he also shares good relations with US President Donald Trump, so our international relations remain strong,” he said.
According to the minister, because of the good relations with Iran, ships carrying supplies have continued to arrive in India.
“At present, we have sufficient petrol, diesel and gas in stock. However, regular movement of goods has been affected due to the war. Items such as vegetables, fruits and other daily supplies that usually move through the region are facing disruptions, and transport has slowed down,” he added.
