Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has welcomed the signing of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), calling it a major step for Indian exporters and potential job creation. The senior parliamentarian described the deal as a landmark economic achievement and stressed the importance of concluding similar agreements with other nations.
Speaking to the media, Tharoor said, “It will be good for Indian exporters. With this economic growth, perhaps new jobs can be generated… This is the right way to conclude FTAs with as many countries as possible, and I am very pleased that we have done so with this so-called mother of all trade deals.”
While expressing optimism about the EU deal, Tharoor also pointed to challenges in India’s trade relations with the United States. He highlighted concerns over jobs that could have been created in India being outsourced abroad. “I would like to see more progress on the US front because that was, till recently, our biggest market…. Jobs that could have been done in India will now be done in the US, which is not something I can be happy about as an Indian public representative. As far as the US is concerned, the ball seems to be in their court,” he said.
