India on Friday rejected as "not accurate" the claim made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said that the India-US trade deal did not happen because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not directly speak to US President Donald Trump.
Lutnick's claim testified that Trump’s tough tariff stance toward India appeared driven less by trade concerns and more by personal pique, following PM Modi’s refusal to personally engage him to clinch a bilateral trade deal or comply with his demands. That perceived snub, the argument goes, has come at a cost for New Delhi, which has been hit with a steep 50% tariff, with the prospect of additional duties still looming.
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