Current UP govt not cleaning rivers but budget: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of prioritising corporate interests while paying lip service when it comes to projects to clean rivers.
Questioning the ruling BJP's "swadeshi" slogan, he claimed it was meant to mislead people. If the BJP is "swadeshi" at heart, why doesn't its government impose tariffs on China, which has captured a large share of the Indian market, Yadav posed.
"The government is selling us the swadeshi sentiment. Learn from America how they have imposed tariffs. You (India) should impose tariffs on China."
"The BJP speaks about 'Swadeshi' but is 'Videshi' at heart," the Samajwadi Party chief added.
Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters, Yadav said the BJP-led administration remembered river cleaning only when "it was time for them to go."
The government is not actually cleaning rivers but "cleaning the budget," the former chief minister said. "They plan how to spoil every good thing and how to loot."
Accusing the BJP dispensation of turning public initiatives into avenues for private gain, Yadav added the government was looting the lands and crops of farmers, while large business houses were given a free hand to build vast real-estate and land banks.
"The truth is that this government has never been honest with farmers, nor are its decisions fair to them," Yadav added.
Responding to a question about the possibility of continuing the alliance with the Congress in the Legislative Council teacher elections, the SP chief said, "This is a very personal election. Our alliance exists and will remain."
"We will strengthen this alliance further and work continuously on that path, Yadav said.
Asked about his plans for the Bihar Assembly elections, Yadav said, "Whoever invites us in Bihar, we will go. We have said that we, the socialists, and the people here, defeated the BJP in Awadh. Now it is the responsibility of the people of Bihar to help."
Taking aim at incidents of police encounters, he referred to Akhilesh Dubey, a lawyer accused in corruption cases in Kanpur, and said, "If encounters alone could improve law and order, why aren't they carrying out an encounter against Akhilesh Dubey?"
"The day the authorities realise their secrets are about to be exposed, Dubey will also be encountered. This government wants to scare people with encounters.
It doesn't want to improve law and order through these incidents, but rather wants to scare people into thinking that they are improving law and order," Yadav said.
The SP chief accused the state government of "politically exploiting" the police, saying, "If the police are used politically, who will look after law and order? This is the result of the state's law and order situation."
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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.
