Modi inaugurated Ayodhya temple 3 months before Ram Navami eyeing polls: Abhishek
Kolkata (PTI): Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Ayodhya temple three months before Ram Navami, eyeing the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, amid West Bengal BJP's criticism of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for throwing open Durga Puja pandals before the auspicious 'Devi Paksha'.
Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress national general secretary, while speaking to reporters at his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, also accused the Modi government of having perfected the "art of double speak, taking no accountability for abrupt declaration of demonetisation leading to deaths of many people, and taking away financial dues of the state against the spirit of the federal setup".
Asked about the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari's criticism of the CM for inaugurating the pandals before Devi Paksha, which marks the start of Durga Puja festivities, he said, "Well, she just inaugurated the pandals a day before the start of Devi Paksha, and did not inaugurate the idols."
"What about the PM inaugurating the Ram temple and the idol of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya in January 2024, three months before Ram Navami? Has any BJP leader commented on that act which was done eyeing the Lok Sabha elections?" he asked.
Accusing the BJP of lacking transparency, he demanded to know how much money had been given to West Bengal and how much taken from the state through direct and indirect taxes.
"The BJP unilaterally imposed GST on a wide range of essential commodities. They had thought they could run the country at their will. Now, they have lowered it, and I think it will be lessened further," he said.
Accusing the BJP of blocking funds to West Bengal for projects like MGNREGA, he accused the Modi government of not "honouring the Calcutta High Court order on the issue".
"When Narendra Modi talks about the poor, he must explain why 69 lakh job card holders are yet to get money from the Centre... the state mopped up resources from its limited corpus to help them," he said.
Referring to demonetisation announced by the Modi government in 2016, he said, "The BJP is yet to reply who was responsible for pushing to death so many people in the wake of the sudden and drastic announcement of the PM. It owes an explanation to the kin of those who died waiting in queues for hours."
Banerjee accused the BJP of using the two "previously independent agencies" -- ED and CBI -- to "torture its political opponents".
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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.
