Owaisi hits back at Adityanath over 'Nizam' barb
Hyderabad, Dec 3 : Hitting back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "Nizam" barb at him, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has said India is his father's country and no one is running away.
Addressing a poll rally here Sunday night, he also said Adityanath was speaking the language of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and he was ignorant about history.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief was reacting to Adityanath's comments at a rally in poll-bound Telangana that he would have to "run away" from Hyderabad, just like the Nizam, if the BJP came to power in the southern state.
"Yogi says if the BJP comes to power in Telangana, Owaisi will be made to run away like the Nizam. The first thing, you (Adityanath) are zero in history. If you cannot read, then ask the literate...
"Had you read (history), you would have known that the Nizam did not leave Hyderabad and Mir Osman Ali Khan was made the 'Raj Pramukh' and when there was a war with China, the same Nizam had given his gold...You are saying the Nizam had run away...he did not run away," the Hyderabad MP said.
He added that if Adityanath was willing, he could come with him to the Nizam's grave and offer flowers.
"But will you come?...You may ask to change the name of the grave also," Owaisi said, mocking Adityanath's plans to rename places in Uttar Pradesh.
"Yogi, you are a chief minister...speak like a chief minister.... In your constituency, hundreds of children are dying every year due to encephalitis... There is no oxygen in the hospitals of Gorakhpur, you are not worried about that, you are coming here and talking about building walls of hatred.... This is Narendra Modi and his party's language...and Narendra Modi's mentality...," he added.
The AIMIM chief also asserted that no one was running away.
"You talk about chasing away an MP.... Listen Uttar Pradesh chief minister, it is my religious belief that when Prophet Adam had descended on earth from paradise, he had come to Hindustan. This Hindustan is my father's country and no one can remove me from here.
"We feel pride in calling ourselves Hindustanis...but you say you will make Owaisi run away," he said.
Addressing an election rally at Tandur town of Vikarabad district, Adityanath had hit out at the AIMIM, saying, "If the BJP forms the government in Telangana, I can tell you that Owaisi will have to run away just like the Nizam was compelled to run away from Hyderabad. The BJP will give security to all, but will not allow those who spread anarchy."
The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
