'Acceptability eludes Dalits even at top post': Bihar Congress chief breaks down over attack on CJI
Patna (PTI): Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, the party's Dalit face in the poll-bound state, on Tuesday burst into tears while voicing anguish over the attack on Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.
Addressing a press conference, Ram alleged the incident reeks of the RSS's ideology.
"Even after reaching the most respectable constitutional posts with efforts of a lifetime, acceptability eludes Dalits," he said, breaking down.
"The incident reeks of RSS' ideology," he alleged, claiming that the BJP wants to replace the Constitution, which has empowered Dalits, with 'Manusmriti'.
Ram alleged that Dalits are still facing atrocities in daily life.
"We, as Dalits, have been facing discrimination day in and day out -- within the House and beyond," he said.
A lawyer, identified as Rakesh Kishor, attempted to hurl a shoe towards CJI Gavai in his courtroom on Monday.
The CJI, who remained unfazed during and after the incident, asked Supreme Court officials and security personnel to "just ignore" it and let off the errant lawyer with a warning.
Ram, who is aiming for a hat-trick from the Kutumba assembly seat this time, also charged the NDA governments, both at the Centre and in the state, with doling out "election-centric tokenistic welfare measures" for women.
Speaking alongside him, Jharkhand minister Dipika Pandey Singh questioned the authenticity of the NDA government's claim of ensuring financial empowerment for women.
"What has the PM given the women of Bihar? A mere Rs 10,000?" she asked.
Pandey announced that if voted to power, the Mahagathbandhan will give Rs 30,000 to women per year, and even provide them with ownership of plots measuring 3-3.5 decimal.
She highlighted that the Mahagathbandhan government in Jharkhand is already giving Rs 30,000 per year to women, which, she emphasised, is "not centred around elections".
She alleged that 64 per cent of people in Bihar have been pushed into the "quagmire of poverty" by the NDA government.
"The condition of education, health, and security is deplorable in the state, let alone the prospects of financial empowerment. Women are the worst sufferers of this abject poverty," she claimed.
"If PM's intentions were right, he would have made provisions for the entire nation, and not just Bihar. If Nitish Kumar is healthy enough to govern Bihar, he should come forward and lay his vision for the women of Bihar," she added.
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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.
