Donald Trump within his rights to negotiate tariffs, India capable of working out decent deal: Rahul Gandhi in US

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that US President Donald Trump is well within his rights to negotiate tariffs and India is fully capable of responding and securing a fair deal, amid trade war.
Trump is negotiating, and he is well within his rights to negotiate tariff structures and "we should negotiate right back," the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said speaking at Brown University in US on April 21.
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs published the interaction video on their YouTube channel on Saturday. Gandhi shared the highlights from the event in several social media post on Monday.
When questioned about the government's response to Trump's tariff initiatives, Gandhi noted, "We don't know how is it responding because they (the government) don't tell us these things.”
"We should understand what our strengths are, (and) what we need, and we should not compromise in areas that are detrimental to us. He (Trump) is well within his rights to say that he wants to change the tariff structure, and it's a negotiation; it's fine. I think we are more than capable enough to negotiate ourselves a decent deal," he added.

Since returning to office, Trump had announced sweeping reciprocal tariff plans, claiming that foreign nations have "looted" the country. He has placed tariffs on a vast range of imported goods, including 26% on Indian goods, 20% on imports from the European Union and a massive 145% levy on products from China.
During the interaction, Gandhi identified India's primary challenge as establishing a production system to rival China's manufacturing capabilities and job creation.
He asserted that, "India has the scale and the skill. What we need now is a clear vision - to build, to lead, and to show the world that democracy and manufacturing must go hand-in-hand to power the future. Time to move from potential to direction."
The Congress leader emphasised the need for a liberalised economic system to support social progress and "weakening caste structures."
"India is not going to be able to do that without a liberalised economic system. Anybody who talks about social progress (and) weakening caste structures also has to accept that you need money to do that. And the only way you are going to make money is by having a production system and by having an open liberalised economy," he said.
He also highlighted that the US and India need to show how they can produce effectively in a democratic environment.
"A partnership between the India and the US on manufacturing and developing a strategy on manufacturing in a democratic environment is something that could be very powerful," he noted.