Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray on Tuesday raised questions over the Centre’s handling of the recently announced India–US trade agreement, demanding transparency and parliamentary accountability amid what he described as mixed signals from the Union government.
In a strongly worded post on X, Thackeray took aim at the sequence of events that unfolded a day after leaders from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) publicly celebrated the deal. He pointed out that the Union Commerce Minister subsequently stated that the agreement was still being worked out, triggering confusion over whether the deal had in fact been finalised.
“Is he unaware of the agreement, or is it truly yet to be finalised?” Thackeray asked, questioning the basis for what he termed a “round of self-congratulations” by the government. He further asked what exactly the public messaging and felicitation were about if key details were still under discussion.
The Sena (UBT) leader underlined the apparent contradiction between international and domestic communication on the matter. Referring to announcements made by the US administration, including statements from the President of the United States himself.
“If the entire US government ecosystem and even the President are tweeting about it, is the Union Commerce Minister of the Government of India saying it’s not finalised?” he asked, adding that clarity was urgently required.
Thackeray also flagged what he described as a departure from parliamentary convention. With Parliament currently in session, he questioned why the government had not first made a formal statement on the floor of the House. “Isn’t that the tradition?” he asked, implying that the NDA should have been briefed before celebratory messaging was pushed on social media.
Another concern raised was the lack of media engagement. Thackeray questioned why, despite holding a press briefing, the Commerce Minister did not take questions from journalists. Drawing a comparison with the United States, he remarked that even the US President engages with the media and fields questions, asking why Indian ministers could not do the same on a deal of such significance.
“All we need is clarity on a very important trade deal with a very important partner country,” Thackeray said, stressing that the issue went beyond political point-scoring and directly affected national economic interests.
The former Maharashtra minister closed his remarks by pointing out a striking irony. He noted that Indian citizens seem to be getting most of their detailed information about the agreement from American officials' posts and announcements. In contrast, he claimed the Indian government has provided little substance, offering mostly "self-congratulatory" statements instead.
The tweet adds to the growing political debate around the India–US trade agreement, with the opposition demanding transparency, clear communication and adherence to parliamentary norms as discussions around the deal continue.
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