While Sharma has maintained his position on India vis-à-vis RCEP, Congress has made a 180 degree turn in its position in the last seven years since the first meeting for the founding of the economic group took place.
The controversy emerged after Sharma tweeted on Tuesday criticizing the Modi government for deciding not to join RCEP.
He said: “India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Association (RCEP) is unfortunate and ill-advised. It is in India’s strategic and economic interest to be part of the Asia-Pacific integration process.
“The withdrawal has negated years of persuasive negotiations for India to be accepted as part of RCEP. We could have negotiated safeguards to protect our interests. Staying out of the RCEP is a leap back. ”
India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Association (RCEP) is unfortunate and ill-advised.… Https://t.co/J2ZuGRUsWq
– Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) 1605599301000
In fact, the initiative to create the economic body was taken when the UPA government led by Congress was in power at the center.
The RCEP negotiations began in Phnom Penh in November 2012, while the first round of negotiations took place between 8 and 13 May in Brunei.
The 15-member RCEP comprises 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and its six Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners, namely China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. These 16 countries make up more than a quarter of the world economy.
As minister of trade and industry in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet, Sharma had attended the first ministerial meeting of the then proposed RCEP on August 19, 2013.
Speaking at the event, Sharma said, “With the diversity in the economies of RCEP participants, it will take immense effort, cooperation and commitment among participants to arrive at a mutually satisfactory outcome that addresses the concerns of all participants. India while maintaining a unique schedule will need adequate flexibility to address its sensitivities, which may differ for each participating country. ”
In support of the initiative, Sharma further said that India firmly believed that further economic integration among participating countries would boost economic growth, improve the flow of trade and investment, create employment opportunities and reduce development gaps between countries.
This union of six economies was believed to lead to the creation of the world’s largest regional trading bloc, covering almost 45% of the world’s population with a combined GDP of $ 21.4 trillion.
Sharma had said that this would greatly facilitate the development of regional supply chains and increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in this region with a view to jointly improving its global position.
While Sharma has maintained his position, Congress changed his position after Prime Minister Narendra Modi succeeded Manmohan Singh.
In November of last year, the President of Congress Sonia Gandhi heavily relied on the Modi government’s economic policies, saying that the signing of the RCEP deal would deal a “body blow” to the economy which, in turn, would lead to “incalculable hardship” for farmers, traders and small businesses. Business.
A couple of days later, the former president of Congress Rahul gandhi He attacked the NDA government for its possibility of joining RCEP. In a tweet on November 4, 2019, he said: “’Make in India’ has become ‘Buy from China.’ Every year we import products from China worth 6000 rupees for each Indian! A 100% increase from 2014. ”
Rahul argued that the proposed RCEP would flood the country with cheap products, resulting in the loss of millions of jobs and paralyzing the economy.
The BJP was quick to reply to Rahul’s tirade. In response to his tweet, the ruling party said: “Dear @RahulGandhi, It seems that the meditation trip has woken you up to the RCEP. Facts that will help your selective amnesia: 1. UPA entered into RCEP negotiations in 2012; 2. The trade deficit with China increased 23 times from $ 1.9 billion in 2005 to $ 44.8 billion in 2014; 3. now PM Modi is cleaning up your mess. ”
Sharma, who is one of the signatories to a letter written by 23 senior congressional leaders to Sonia Gandhi about the leadership crisis in the main opposition party, has maintained his principles on RCEP for the past seven years. However, the leadership of Congress has turned the matter 180 degrees.
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