Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has opposed the proposed India-US trade deal in its current form stating that New Delhi can’t meet Washington’s asks on e-commerce, data flows, dairy and patents. “How can we allow what the US expects on e-commerce, free flow of data, intellectual property rights, lifting the price caps on medical devices? I don’t see the Indo-US trade deal to see the light of day in its present form…We should not engage,” said Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor, Swadeshi Jagran Manch at a webinar organised by civil society and farmer organisations on Tuesday.
India has said it is close to sign a “quick trade deal” with the US and that the two sides should also look at a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with 50 to 100 products and services before moving to a free trade agreement (FTA) in the long term. Explaining that e-commerce, IPR, agriculture, dairy, price caps on medical devices and duty cuts on Harley Davidson motorbikes is on the menu, he said it was because of the concerns raised by India’s dairy and agriculture sectors that the country came out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement last year.
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