Congress should apologize, act against Azad, Soz: Amit Shah
Jammu, June 23: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday asked the Congress to apologise for the statements of its senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz on Kashmir and dared it to take action against the two leaders.
Addressing a public rally here, he said that after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to the PDP-led coalition government, leading to its collapse, the Congress "started showing its true colours" in anticipation of elections.
The BJP President, who was on his first visit to the state after his party suddenly decided to withdraw support to the Mehbooba Mufti government, said that staying in power was not a priority for the BJP but "welfare and development of Jammu and Kashmir was its only objective".
"Everyone feels that some day soon, elections will happen. While BJP raises slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai', the Congress also started showing its true colours in anticipation of elections.
"Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made a statement which I cannot even repeat here. And immediately after it, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) supported that statement," Shah said.
Azad had said that "the Indian Army was killing more civilians than terrorists" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah asked the Congress to explain the reason behind shared views between LeT and one of its senior leaders.
Also slamming a statement by Congress leader Soz that former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was right in saying Kashmiris will prefer to be independent, he said that the BJP will never let it happen, and Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and it can't be changed.
He asked the Congress to take action against the two leaders and also apologize to the nation for their statements.
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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.
