India-US Trade Deal : Congress Takes Jibe At Modi Government Over Howard Lutnick’s Comments ; Embarassed MEA Reacts, Rubbishes US Commerce Secretary’s Call Remarks

File Picture : ANI

Congress party took a Bollywood-tinged swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the trade deal with India did not happen because Modi did not call US President Donald Trump.

Posting a video of Lutnick’s remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, ‘Hug hug na raha, post post na raha.’

In his Bollywood-tinged taunt aimed at Modi, Ramesh added, ‘Kya se kya ho gaya, bewafa teri dosti mein.’

While this was a play on the hit number with similar lyrics from the Dev Anand-starrer film Guide (1965), the other was a play on the song Dost dost na raha from the 1964 film Sangam by Raj Kapoor.

The swipe came after Lutnick said the trade deal with India did not happen because Prime Minister Modi did not call Trump.

In an interview with the All-in Podcast  according to various media reports, , Lutnick detailed how the India-US trade deal has not happened till now.

In an apparent damage control , India has rejected as “inaccurate” US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s remarks that a proposed trade deal between the two countries couldn’t be sealed last year, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a telephone call to President Donald Trump.

“We have seen the remarks. India and the US were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as February 13 last year,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

“Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiation to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement,” he said at his weekly media briefing.

The MEA spokesperson also said, “On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate.”

Jaiswal said India remained interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies, and it is looking forward to concluding it.

“Incidentally, the prime minister and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership,” he said.

People familiar with the matter said no occasion had come in the course of last year when one single phone call could have helped seal the trade pact.