Deals with EU, US good sign for world stability: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: PM Modi Thursday celebrated the signing of the trade deals with the EU and the US, saying the pacts augur well for world’s “stability and pace of progress” and were evidence of the international community regarding India as trusted trading partner.

“When the trade deal with the EU took place, the world became more confident of stability. After the deal with the US, the world has more confidence in not just stability but also pace of progress... It is a good sign for the world... The biggest beneficiaries (from the deals) will be the youth of the country,” he said.




Modi’s remarks in Rajya Sabha, during the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, came even as the treaty with the US is yet to be formally signed. It’s being seen as an indication that the two sides may have resolved their differences. The formal announcement of the deal is likely next week.

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Modi slammed the party for its failure to secure similar trade pacts during its tenure and said it’ll have to one day respond to what it had done to India that other countries weren’t willing to do trade deals.

PM slams Cong for eroding global trust

The 97-minute fiery speech that started amid sloganeering from a protesting opposition, saw PM hitting out at Congress for the erosion of trust of foreign partners in India’s capacity to deliver and saying that a lot of his energy was spent on rectifying the mistakes of past Congress-led govts to instill confidence globally.

Modi also highlighted investments in emerging sectors such as AI, quantum computing, critical minerals, space technology and deep-sea exploration, describing them as pillars of India’s growth strategy. He called for a push towards quality manufacturing, innovation and research.

He said Congress was more focused on “vote bank politics” and did not prioritise economic issues. “Neither did they have a vision or will. That is the reason that the country had to suffer so much,” the PM said.

“I can see very clearly that the second quarter of the 21st century is going to be critical for India’s progress at a rapid pace towards achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’. Therefore, we have to only keep moving forward and not look back,” said Modi.

The opposition protest at the beginning of Modi’s speech came as Congress and others alleged that Leader of the Opposition in RS Mallikarjun Kharge wanted to speak but was denied permission by chairman C P Radhakrishnan. While Modi kept speaking undeterred initially amid the protest, he paused and took a dig at Kharge, suggesting that he can keep raising slogans while sitting. The opposition later walked out of the House.

Continuing with his speech, the PM said, “India is signing future-ready trade deals with several nations. In the last few days, we have signed trade deals with nine big nations, including the ‘mother of all deals’ with the 27-nation EU bloc.”

Reflecting on the changing global population profile — where the world’s most developed countries are witnessing a fast-aging population — Modi said India is uniquely placed due to its youth population. “Having a large youth population is in itself a big attest. We have a very precious ‘youth talent pool’ that has dreams, resolve and capability to achieve their dreams,” Modi said.
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